FOUR CORNERS REGION — They don’t call it the desert southwest for nothing. Hot,very hot, and dry!
While most of the Great Lakes is experiencing temperatures five to ten degrees below normal, it’s completely the opposite in the Southwest United States. In Death Valley, California the thermometer is expected to reach 128 degrees or hotter. The hottest temperature on the planet was set there about 100 years ago at 134 degrees…so this is certainly some serious heat. In many locations across Arizona, New Mexico, and south California, the thermometer never dipped below the mid/upper 90s for overnight lows. Imagine having a morning low temp between 95 and 100 degrees?
The attached snapshot shows current temps across the lower 48 states as of 5:00 PM EDT. We’re not even at the peak of daytime heating and many southwestern locations are well in to the triple digits. The record, scorching heat comes as a strong ridge of high pressure remains anchored over the western half of the United States. Conversely, an upper level trough over the Midwest and Great Lakes is keeping temperatures on the cool side (for this time of year) with a few scattered showers and thunderstorms.
UPDATE…Tempertures in Death Valley reached 125, not breaking the all-time world tempertaure set back on July 10, 1913. Places like Phoenix hit a record at 119 degrees, breaking the old record of 117 set back in 1994. Their average/normal high for this time of year is still a scorcher at 107. Las Vegas, Nevada also broke a record at 115 degrees. At least two heat related fatalities occurred with more people sent to the hospital for heat related illness. Click herefor a more complete list complied by the National Weather Service on high temperatures across the region. You can also click here to monitor the current conditions at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley. As of 9:00 PM EDT Saturday evening the temperature there is still 124 degrees!
Excessive heat warnings are in effect across much of the region in the south. Click hereto see the watches/warnings/advisories. Click hereto read more about this heat from the National Weather Service in Phoenix. Get the cooler West Michigan forecast at http://www.fox17online.com/weather.
