the western United States hit by an extreme heat wave

The western United States is hit by an extreme heat wave, just as the UN warns that the planet is overheating. The city of Las Vegas, California, is suffocating as 44°C and 51°C were recorded on Thursday, June 6, in the desert region of Death Valley.

According to scientists, repeated heat waves are an unequivocal marker of global warming and these heat waves are expected to multiply, last longer and intensify. “Today, record highs and lows will likely be broken or tied between California, Nevada and Arizona.” according to the US Weather Service (NWS).

Las Vegas is experiencing dangerous temperatures above seasonal norms and authorities there have extended their heat alert until Saturday. Air-conditioned venues have been opened to provide respite to people without air conditioning at home in America’s gaming capital. “We haven’t really had time to acclimatize to the fact that it’s warming up so much and so quickly”declared Glen Simpson, director of an ambulance service at Channel 13, affiliated with the American media ABC.

In California, the situation in the very agricultural region of the Central Valley is also “particularly worrying”according to federal authorities. “There will be little or no nighttime respite for those who do not have an effective cooling system or cannot adequately hydrate.”, according to the NWS. Temperatures are expected to drop slightly in the coming days, but the heat wave will extend to the north of the country, to Oregon and Washington.