Las Vegas marks historic fifth day of 115+ degrees in ‘most extreme’ heat wave ever recorded
Las Vegas knocked off another record-breaking heat feat Wednesday, notching five consecutive days of temperatures reaching 115 degrees Fahrenheit or higher amid what forecasters are calling “the most extreme heat wave” ever recorded in Sin City.
The previous record of four days in a row that the thermostat read 115 F or more was set nearly 20 years ago in 2005 — and the city could add additional days to its newest tally as the sizzling temps are expected to continue into the weekend.
The new record is just one of a whopping 16 heat-related measures Las Vegas has broken since the start of June, including the single highest temperature of 120 F which was set on Sunday.
“And we’re not even halfway through July yet,” meteorologist Morgan Stessman said.
The excruciating heat has killed at least nine people this year in Clark County, which encompasses Las Vegas, and officials believe the toll is likely higher.
Meteorologists said the prolonged stretch of scorching weather is “the most extreme heat wave” to hit the city since the National Weather Service began recording-keeping of Vegas in 1937.
Many residents said they try not to step outside at all if they can help it.
“It’s oppressively hot,” longtime resident Alyse Sobosan said. “It’s like you can’t really live your life.”
It’s so hot that the outdoor air in Vegas melted crayons in just 30 minutes, according to an experiment shared by the National Weather Service office in the city.
But the skyrocketing temperatures aren’t limited to Sin City.
More than 142 million people across the country had heat alerts in the area on Wednesday. Many other areas — largely in the wildfire-prone West — broke their own records as well.
Oregon broke its single-day temperature records with cities like Portland reaching 103 F on Tuesday as at least 10 people died of heat-related ailments across the state.
In Arizona, three hikers died in separate incidents in recent weeks at the Grand Canyon, where thermostats can read 120 F in the shade on certain trails.
And last Friday, a 4-year-old baby girl died of heat-related complications at the state’s Lake Havasu, according to the local sheriff’s office.
“We are beyond devastated, heartbroken, there are just no words,” her grief-stricken mom, Tanya Wroblewski, penned in a harrowing Facebook post.
As temperatures got into triple digits for multiple days in the Grand Canyon State, hundreds of residents in the community of Bowie lost access to water as the Bowie Water Company dealt with mechanical issues which may not be fixed until Friday, according to KOLD.
Many city leaders set up public cooling centers in community centers to aid those without AC or a home.
Officials and experts encourage people to stay inside as much as possible as the dangerous heat wave takes over the country.
“Even people of average age who are seemingly healthy can suffer heat illness when it’s so hot it’s hard for your body to cool down,” said Alexis Brignola, an epidemiologist at the Southern Nevada Health District.
With Post wires
