Extreme heat hits west and east coasts, breaks daily highs

Extreme heat continues to batter large parts of the US, with the West Coast and parts of the East Coast bearing the brunt of the high temperatures this weekend.

According to Heat.gov, more than 132 million people were under some form of heat warning as of Saturday evening.

“These conditions are extremely dangerous and potentially deadly if not taken seriously,” the National Weather Service said Saturday.

Human-induced climate change is causing longer and more intense heat waves and making dangerously high temperatures more common.

Record heat on the west coast

Heat warnings are in effect on the west coast this weekend.

In northwest and west-central Oregon, including Portland, temperatures are forecast to remain between 100 and 105 degrees through Tuesday night. The heat is expected to remain warm overnight, limiting the chance of a recovery from the heat, the NWS said.

Several areas in the Pacific Northwest saw warmer than normal temperatures on Friday, including Portland and Salem, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington.

In Salem, the high was 103 degrees, breaking the previous record of 99 degrees set in 1960.

Further south, more heat records are set on Saturday in Death Valley, California, Las Vegas and Lake Havasu City, Arizona, with temperatures well above 43 degrees Celsius.

In Santa Barbara, California, extreme heat accompanied large plumes of smoke from the Lake Fire that began Friday. More than 12,000 acres had burned as of Saturday afternoon, CalFire said.

Scorching temperatures grip the East Coast

Heat warnings are in effect this weekend on the East Coast for the entire area, from northern New York State to southern Florida.

According to the NWS, heat indexes of 104 degrees Fahrenheit are expected in several northern New Jersey counties. (Heat indexes measure how the weather actually feels when you factor in both temperature and humidity.)

Meanwhile, major cities like Philadelphia and Trenton, N.J., are under extreme heat warnings through Saturday night, with heat indexes expected to reach 106 degrees, according to the NWS. New York City’s heat index could reach 100.

In Maryland, along the Chesapeake Bay, heat indexes are expected to reach 110 degrees on Saturday. Baltimore and Washington, D.C., are both under extreme heat warnings, the NWS said.

In the South, heat indexes topped 100 degrees on Saturday. Parts of southeast Alabama, Florida’s Panhandle and southern Georgia are expected to see heat indexes of 111 degrees.

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