A brutal ‘heat dome’ is set to fry the US on Wednesday as scorching temperatures rocket above triple figures in multiple states.
‘Dangerous’ rays will blast more than 265million people across the country as the mercury soars to up to 118F in some parts.
A staggering third of America has been issued with excessive heat warnings, with Boston declaring an emergency and New York City urging residents to stay inside for their own safety.
It comes as temperatures started to rise over the last few days that caused people to faint of heat exhaustion, flee from sharks circling beaches further northwards due to the warmer seas and battle raging wildfires.
A UPS delivery driver was recorded on a doorbell camera passing out as he tried to post a parcel amid extreme heat in Arizona.
Meanwhile there have been multiple sightings of sharks lurking off the coast of Long Island, with five attacks taking place in the past few weeks shutting down multiple beaches.
And a horrifying new report this week found 130 homeless people were killing in scorching temperatures in Phoenix last year.
NEW YORK: Locals in New York flocked to Rockaway Beach yesterday to soak up the sunshine on the East Coast with temperatures set to hit 97F today
TEXAS: Construction workers took a break in the shade from working on pipes in San Antonio, Texas, where temperatures will reach triple figures
NEW YORK: Officials have shut down several popular beaches because of a rise in shark sightings as high up as Long Island
Tourists soaked in the sunshine as they looked at the World War II memorial in Washington DC today
Michelle Wu, Boston’s Mayor, declared the emergency and has launched dozens of cooling centers across the city to help protect locals.
The National Weather Service has also issued a heat advisory until 8pm tonight in Boston, with the heat index forecast to soar past 100 degrees.
Meanwhile Jackie Bray, commissioner of New York’s homeland security and emergency services division, has urged residents to stay indoors rather than risk the ‘dangerous’ heatwave.
She pushed for the move so locals can avoid ‘dangerous conditions that can lead to heat stress and illness’.
New York will reach 97F, while Death Valley in California is set to reach a scorching 118F and Las Vegas estimated to soar to at least 113F today.
New York City could also be facing the longest heatwave in nearly a decade, with seven straight days of temperature above 90F, which last happened in 2013.
If the scorching conditions last eight consecutive days it would be one of the ten hottest in history, with the record of 12 days being set in 1953.
The Big Apple’s energy company, Con Edison, is also advising residents to limit their energy use to avoid blackouts.
Workers in the city are claiming that their air conditioning has been shut off because of the ‘mandatory demand response’.
At least one-third of the US population has been issued with heat advisories and excessive heat warnings and roughly 265 million people will see temperatures above 90 degrees in the coming days.
A ‘heat dome’ covering the country is largely due to a persistent region of high pressure trapping heat over an area.
Temperatures in the United States are set to exceed triple figures across the nation with the southern states being hit hardest
TEXAS: Families in Houston, Texas, were quick to cool off in swimming pools yesterday after the state was issued with an excessive heat warning by the National Weather Service
Jackie Bray, commissioner of New York’s homeland security and emergency services division, has urged residents to stay indoors rather than risk the ‘dangerous’ heatwave
NEW YORK: New Yorkers sunbathed in Washington Square Park yesterday, laying down their towels as they enjoyed the scorching sunshine
NEW YORK: High temperatures across the nation are largely due to a persistent region of high pressure trapping heat over an area, called a ‘heat dome’
TEXAS: Children were quick to cool down in water jets in Houston, Texas, with other states setting up cooling stations to allow residents to access water and shade
TEXAS: At least one third of the US population has been issued with head advisories and excessive heat warnings and roughly 265 million people will see temperatures above 90F
NEW YORK: Scorching temperature are expected to last until at least Friday, with meteorologists warning that above average highs will be ‘dominating’ the country
TEXAS: Workers put neon rims on their hard hats with neck covers in an attempt to keep cool in the burning San Antonio sun today
Officials have also shut down several popular beaches because of a rise in shark sightings as high up as Long Island, with five attacks taking place in the past few weeks.
A new study has warned that climate change is intensifying, with a research team finding that nearly one in three of all species will disappear or be threatened by 2100.
This is mainly due to biodiversity loss, which is a result of production and consumption, human population and climate change.
In Arizona UPS drivers today slammed the company after a horrified resident released footage of his delivery driver collapsing in the extreme heat.
The doorbell video, shared by Brian Enriquez from Scottsdale, shows the man leaning over to deliver the parcel before falling and slumping to the ground.
He lies there for a few moments before standing up, ringing the doorbell, and then ‘staggering away’, as temperatures reached 110F in Phoenix.
Enriquez told KPNX News in Mesa: ‘I was concerned for the fact that he was stumbling to the door. ‘Had I gotten to my phone sooner, I could have talked to him through my Ring, but he had already left the property at that point.
The homeowner called the police to see if they could help, with UPS confirming that the driver had not been seriously injured.
UPS said: ‘UPS drivers are trained to work outdoors and for the effects of hot weather. Our employee used his training to be aware of his situation and contact his manager for assistance, who immediately provided assistance.
‘Our package delivery vehicles make frequent stops, making air conditioning ineffective.’
A UPS driver told ABC News their vans do not have air conditioning due to frequent stops, adding that drivers are ‘dropping like flies’ in the heat.
A worker put his waterproof gear on and donned a hat as he battled the rising temperatures at the National Mall in Washington DC
TEXAS: Texas is continuing to face drought conditions amid the excessive heat. Emily Buss, 16, left is seen here reaching for an umbrella to put on the lifeguard stand at the Allen Bolden Outdoor Pool
NEW YORK: A couple took advantage of the heat to go for a paddle on Central Park Lake before posing for a picture
BOSTON: Children did not seem to mind the looming heatwave as they played in a water fountain in Boston, Massachusetts
NEW YORK: Women tried to cool off in the excessive heat wearing bikinis to lay on the grass in Central Park
He claimed that when a drivers suffers from heat exhaustion then they are sent home with no treatment and if they do seek medical care it is up to them.
They added: ‘The fact of the matter is that no amount of training can prepare your body for 160 degrees, 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week.
‘Every week drivers are dropping like flies due to heat conditions and UPS is killing drivers because of this.’
Maricopa county, where Scottsdale is located, reported 339 heat-related deaths in 2021, a record number of such fatalities.
Of the hundreds of people who died as a result of the heat, at least 130 homeless people were killed in the scorching temperatures.
Experts have said that if they had died in any other way it would be considered a ‘mass casualty event’, with many on the streets being forced to sleep in stifling tents before being moved on by cops.
About two-thirds of the heat associated deaths in greater Phoenix so far this year involved people who were outdoors, according to the latest statistics from the Maricopa County Department of Health.
The heat associated deaths from the first half are far above those seen in the county during the same period in past years.
There were 11 such fatalities in the first six months of 2021 with 107 more under investigation; four during that period in 2020 with another 48 under investigation; and three in 2019 with another 27 under investigation.
Excessive heat causes more weather-related deaths in the United States than hurricanes, flooding and tornadoes combined, with around half of the 1,500 heat-related deaths a year estimated to be those who are homeless.
Meteorologist Domenica Davis of the Weather Channel warned that the southern plains will be worst hit by the sweltering heat, but above average temperature will be ‘dominating’ the country.
She expects temperatures to be up between five to 15 degrees, adding that there is a ‘potential for record breakers’ as many cities will hit higher than 100F.
Excessive heat warnings are also in place until 10pm this evening across San Joaquin Valley, lower Sierra foothills, and the Kern River Valley.
The National Weather Service has also issued the warning across parts of Texas, including Dallas and Fort Worth.
Northern Louisiana, Eastern Texas, Memphis, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma are also covered by the excessive warning.
New Jersey, Delaware, parts of New York and Philadelphia have also been issued with a heat advisory – while other parts of the country have been put on a fire weather watch.
Little Rock, Arkansas, recorded temperatures of at least 100F for the tenth day this year on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service warned that today will be ‘another brutal day’, with rising temperatures.
Wildfires have broken out across the country leaving waves of devastation in their wake, with the largest blaze breaking out in Texas.
On Tuesday the Chalk Mountain Fire blackened 6,000 acres, and was only ten per cent contained after breaking out Monday afternoon.
Crews using bulldozers were forced to dig containment lines as fire tricks and aircrafts battled to extinguish the flames.
Five homes have also been destroyed around Possum Kingdom Lake in North Texas, with the fire burning down at least five other structures.
TEXAS: Multiple wildfires have been burning through Texas, with homes and structures in Palo Pinto County, punctured on Monday, being destroyed
NEW YORK: A young boy played in the art installation fountain outside Rockefeller Center as temperatures reached into the 90s on Tuesday
BOSTON: A boy was seen enjoying himself as he played in a water fountain on the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston on the first day of a nationwide heatwave
In North Texas, residents are being asked to conserve water amid drought conditions and the looming heatwave – both of which could pose a potential water shortage.
The North Texas Municipal Water District is calling for customers to reduce their water use ‘immediately,’ especially outdoors, until at least Wednesday.
The water district serves about 2 million people including in Plano and North Dallas County.
It was already forced to cease water production at one of its four treatment plants unexpectedly on Saturday ‘to return the plant back to full water purification capacity,’ according to ABC News reports.
The district claims that maintenance combined with a regional drought prompted the company to request a precautionary reduction in water usage.
It comes just one week after the Electric Reliability Council of Texas had to ask its 26 million customers to voluntarily reduce their electric use in an effort to avoid rolling blackouts as excessive air conditioning use created a strain on the electric grid.
Prisoners in Texas are also battling the brutal heat without air conditioning, with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice warning that some jails do not have working facilities.
Residents in Texas complained that there were no cases of water or Gatorade for them to pick up to give to volunteers fighting wildfires
Temperatures yesterday reached a scorching 110F, with a spokeswoman for the department adding: ‘There are 100 (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) units, 31 have full AC, 55 have partial AC, and 14 have no AC.
‘We take numerous precautions to lessen the effects of hot temperatures for those incarcerated within our facilities.
‘In 2022, there have been seven inmates who required medical care beyond first aid for heat related injuries, none were fatal.’
Alaska has also experience more than 500 forest fires since the beginning of April, with more than 3m of land burning by mid-July.
As of yesterday there were at least 264 individual fires still burning across the state, with a climate specialist calling it ‘unprecedented.’
Severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes are also a possibility in parts of Canada, according to Environment Canada.
They said in a statement that ‘damaging wind gusts’ will be the main threat adding that a ‘significant tornado’ can’t be ruled out.