LOS ANGELES — The persistent heat wave that has broken numerous records across the U.S. continued on Sunday, bringing dangerous temperatures to parts of the West and East Coast. These extreme conditions contributed to the death of a motorcyclist in Death Valley.
An excessive heat warning, the National Weather Service’s highest alert, was issued for approximately 36 million people, or about 10% of the U.S. population, according to meteorologist Bryan Jackson. Many locations in the West and Pacific Northwest either matched or set new heat records.
Northern California experienced temperatures surpassing 110 degrees, with Redding hitting a record 119 degrees. Phoenix saw a new daily record for the warmest low temperature, never dropping below 92 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday.
Death Valley National Park recorded high temperatures of 128 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday, where a visitor died from heat exposure and another was hospitalized. The two individuals were part of a group of six motorcyclists riding through the Badwater Basin amidst the extreme heat. Emergency medical helicopters were unable to respond due to the high temperatures, as aircraft typically cannot fly safely over 120 degrees.
Four other motorcyclists in the group were treated at the scene for heat-related illnesses. Officials emphasized that heat illness can accumulate over the course of a day or several days.
Despite the extreme conditions, some visitors were unphased. Chris Kinsel from Las Vegas described being in Death Valley during these temperatures as “like Christmas day” for him, fulfilling a long-held desire to visit the park in the summertime.
Meanwhile, in Nevada, Natasha Ivory took her children to a water park in Mount Charleston, where a record high of 120 degrees was set on Sunday. Jill Workman Anderson also visited the area with her dog, enjoying the view and the cooler temperatures compared to Las Vegas.
Oregon also saw triple-digit temperatures, breaking several records, including in Salem where it hit 103 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 99 set in 1960. The East Coast experienced widespread temperatures above 100 degrees, though no excessive heat advisories were in effect.
Advisories from the weather service recommended staying hydrated, avoiding the sun, and checking on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should not be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.
Heat advisories were issued even for higher elevations, including around Lake Tahoe along the California-Nevada border, with warnings of major heat risks even in the mountains.
More extreme temperatures are expected, with forecasts predicting highs potentially reaching 130 degrees at Furnace Creek, California, in Death Valley. The highest temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was 134 degrees in Death Valley in July 1913, although 130 degrees recorded in July 2021 is also considered a record by some experts.
In Arizona’s Maricopa County, encompassing Phoenix, there have been at least 13 confirmed heat-related deaths this year, with over 160 other deaths under investigation for potential heat-related causes. This count does not include a 10-year-old boy who died from a heat-related medical event while hiking in South Mountain Park and Preserve in Phoenix.
California firefighters are also battling a series of wildfires under these sweltering conditions. The Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County, northwest of Los Angeles, has burned over 25 square miles of dry grass, brush, and timber since breaking out on Friday and remains uncontained. Some rural homes are under evacuation orders as the fire spreads through mostly uninhabited wildlands.