Heat Wave in Western U.S. Sets Records as Another Roasts the East

Temperature records have been shattered from California and Nevada to North Carolina in the last few days, and relief is still days away, forecasters say.

A heat wave that broke records in Palm Springs, Calif., and in Las Vegas over the weekend was spreading on Monday to bake much of the Western United States. Forecasters said the extreme heat would probably persist for several more days at least.

The temperature in Palm Springs reached 124 degrees on Friday, the highest ever recorded there. Las Vegas also broke a heat record when the temperature there climbed to 120 degrees on Sunday. Records were also broken in Oregon and in other parts of California.

The federal forecast map for the West glowed bright red on Monday in the southern parts of Arizona, Nevada and California, signifying daily temperatures that were expected to rise above 110 degrees. And with a high-pressure system still lumbering over the Southwest, the sweltering conditions were expected to last through the workweek, according to the National Weather Service, with temperatures that could run 15 to 30 degrees above average.

Many residents of Palm Springs and Las Vegas are used to searing heat in the summertime. At the Demuth Community Center in Palm Springs, where people can find water, snacks and air-conditioning, the number of visitors has not increased noticeably since last week, said Janice Lopez, the supervisor at the center.

“The only thing that we did do was open on Sunday, since we’re kind of in a heat wave, constantly being over 120 degrees,” she said, noting that the center was usually closed on weekends.

The heat wave is forecast to expand from California and Oregon north to Washington and east over the Great Basin and Arizona on Tuesday and Wednesday.