In July it continues to sizzle: Phoenix reaches 110 degrees again, forest fires in California are spreading

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix sizzled for the 31st straight day of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) and other parts of the country struggled with record temperatures on Sunday after a week of exposing significant sections of the U.S. population to extreme heat .

The National Weather Service said Phoenix rose to a high of 111 F (43.8 degrees Celsius) before the end of the day.

July has been so hot so far Scientists predict it will be the hottest month on record recorded and probably the warmest human civilization ever seen. The World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus climate service on Thursday declared July as a record-breaking month.

The historic heat began blasting the lower Southwest of the United States in late June, stretching from Texas through New Mexico and Arizona to the California desert.

A massive wildfire broke out of control in California on Sunday Mojave National Reservation The blaze spread quickly in erratic winds, while firefighters reported progress fighting another major blaze in the south that prompted evacuations.

The York Fire, which broke out near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of ​​the preserve on Friday, sent up a huge plume of smoke that was visible nearly 100 miles (160 kilometers) away across the state line in Nevada.

According to a Sunday report, blazes that are 20 feet (6 meters) high in places have charred more than 110 square miles (284 square kilometers) of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree forests.

“The dry fuel acts as an easy ignition source and, combined with these weather conditions, resulted in widespread fire spreads and high flames resulting in extreme fire behavior,” authorities said. No structures were threatened, but there was no containment either.

To the southwest, the Bonny Fire held steady over an area of ​​approximately 3.4 square miles (8.8 square kilometers) in the rugged hills of Riverside County. More than 1,300 people were ordered to vacate their homes near the remote community of Aguanga, California on Saturday.

Triple-digit heat was expected in parts of the central San Joaquin Valley through Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

And in Burbank, California, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, the summer heat may have been responsible for unusual behavior in the animal kingdom: City police responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood and found the animal sitting in the hot tub behind one of the houses.

As climate change brings hotter and longer heat waves, record temperatures across the US have killed dozens and the poorest Americans are suffering the most. air conditioning, once a luxury, is now a matter of survival.

Last year, all 86 indoor heat-related deaths occurred in uncooled environments.

“To put it very simply, heat kills,” said Kristie Ebi, a professor at the University of Washington who studies heat and health. “Once the heat wave begins, mortality begins in about 24 hours.”

According to a Boston University analysis of 115 US metropolitan areas, it’s the poorest and black people from Kansas City to Detroit to New York City and beyond who are far more exposed to the grueling heat without air conditioning.

Back in Phoenix, some relief could be on the way as expected seasonal thunderstorms Monday and Tuesday could bring temperatures down.

“It should be about 108 degrees, so we’re breaking that 110-degree range,” meteorologist Tom Frieders said. “Increasing cloud cover will put temperatures on a downward trend.”

The relief might be short-lived, however. Highs are expected to drop to 43.3°C (110°F) on Wednesday and reach 46.1°C (115°F) by the end of the week.

Phoenix also sweated a record 16 straight nights in which the minimum temperature did not drop below 90°F (32.2°C). It’s hard for people to cool down after sunset.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas continues to experience its hottest July ever. The city is nearing its 2010 record for average daily high and low temperatures in July, which is 96.2 F (35.5 C).

The extreme heat also hits the eastern United States The rising temperatures moved from the Midwest to the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, where some locations have recorded their warmest days so far this year.