Extreme heat wave kills several in US

Several states in the American West have been affected, from California to Arizona, including Oregon, where local media have announced four heat-related deaths.

Heatwave alerts affecting more than 160 million people. The United States is still hit, Wednesday, July 10, by an extreme heat wave that has led to record temperatures and caused several deaths in the American West. The mercury is abnormally high in the east and south of the country, but it is in the western part that the heat is the most brutal.

In Nevada, Las Vegas experienced its hottest temperature ever recorded on Sunday, at 48.9°C. These kinds of stifling temperatures will continue across the American West throughout this week, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS). “The persistent and record-breaking heat is extremely dangerous for those without access to some form of air conditioning.“, they warned on Tuesday on the social network X.

In fact, several heat-related deaths have already been reported throughout the region. A motorcyclist died Saturday during an expedition in Death Valley, where temperatures exceeded 52°C that day. One of his companions in the same group had to be hospitalized, according to officials of this national park, known as one of the hottest places in the world.

In Oregon, at least four deaths likely related to heat have been reported since Friday, according to local media. In this region of the northwest, which is usually more temperate, the city of Salem reached 40°C on Monday. In California, Arizona and Idaho, dozens of cities have set absolute or seasonal temperature records in recent days.

In California, some residents endure “not only the hottest day they have ever experienced, but also the hottest day their parents or grandparents have ever experienced,” “We’re not talking about the heat,” said Daniel Swain, a climatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. With several fires burning in the Golden State, the temperatures are making firefighters’ jobs particularly difficult.

Since the 19th century, the Earth’s average temperature warmed by 1.1°C . Scientists have established with certainty that this increase is due to human activities, consumers of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas). This warming, unprecedented in its speed, threatens the future of our societies and biodiversity. But solutions – renewable energies, moderation, reduction of meat consumption – exist. Discover our answers to your questions on the climate crisis.