‘Oppressively hot’: Record-breaking heatwave engulfs western US
Al Jazeera
More than 161 million people are under heat alerts as extreme weather prompts warnings and health fears.
The western United States continues to grapple with an oppressive heatwave that is believed to have killed at least seven people, authorities say, and has spurred safety warnings across large swaths of the country.
The bout of extreme heat has smashed records across the West, while further stoking concerns over the impacts of the climate crisis.
On Wednesday, the city of Las Vegas in Nevada was set to surpass its previous record of four consecutive days over 46.1 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit).
That comes after heat in the city smashed the 2021 single-day record of 46.6C (116F) when it reached 48.8C (120F) on Sunday.
“This is the most extreme heatwave in the history of record-keeping in Las Vegas since 1937,” said meteorologist John Adair, a veteran of three decades at the National Weather Service office in southern Nevada.
