<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/23/us-heat-warnings-22-states-record-heatwave-continues>
"A record-breaking heatwave continued to spread across the central US on
Wednesday, placing about 130 million people under heat alerts in 22 states, and
prompting warnings from weather experts of potentially deadly conditions.
Temperatures above 100F (37.7C) stretched south to states on the Gulf coast,
the National Weather Service (NWS) warned in a morning advisory, with “brutal
humidity levels” pushing the heat index as high as 120F (48.8C) in some areas.
School officials in numerous states, including Colorado, Iowa, Missouri and
Oklahoma, closed classrooms or were sending students home early in response to
the heatwave, which has seen record temperatures this week in cities from Texas
to Louisiana.
“It is imperative to take the heat seriously and avoid extended time outdoors,
as temperatures and heat indices will reach levels that would pose a health
risk and be potentially deadly to anyone without effective cooling and/or
adequate hydration,” the NWS said in its statement.
“Remember heat is the number one weather-related cause of death in the US.”
Meanwhile, the deluge from now tropical depression Harold continued to cause
problems in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, where flooding prompted evacuations
Tuesday night from homes, hotels and a school near the south rim of the Grand
Canyon.
“Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, hail and heavy rain are expected in
parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, especially tonight,” the NWS
statement added.
This week’s heatwave, which will last until the weekend, forecasters say,
extends an unprecedented summer of record-breaking heat and other extreme
weather events. In July, rangers at Death Valley, California, the hottest place
on Earth, recorded a temperature of 128F (53.3C), close to its previous high.
“With global warming, such temperatures are becoming more and more likely to
occur,” Randy Ceverny of the World Meteorological Organization told the
Guardian in an email."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
