An intense heatwave across the US west has brought unusually warm temperatures to the region – some of the highest of the season – and broken heat records.
Millions of Americans from Phoenix to Los Angeles to Seattle are under heat alerts. Even before this latest bout of extreme weather, which began on Wednesday and is expected to last through the weekend, summer 2024 was already considered the hottest summer on record.
In California, the desert city of Indio saw its hottest 5 September at 121F (49.4C), breaking a previous record of 120F from 2020, while Palm Springs tied its heat record for the day at 121F. Palm Springs recorded its all-time high of 124F in July.
The Los Angeles region has not yet broken any records – although Burbank, a few miles to the north of downtown Los Angeles, tied for its all-time high of 114F. But the area is bracing for a days-long stretch of triple-digit temperatures. The temperature in Los Angeles on Thursday reached 102F (38.9C), and Friday was expected to see similarly high temperatures in three figures.
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