Vegas could break heat record as tens of millions across U.S. endure scorching temperatures

Visitors to Las Vegas on Friday stepped out momentarily to snap photos and were hit by blast-furnace air. But most will spend their vacations in a vastly different climate -- at casinos where the chilly air conditioning might require a light sweater.

Visitors to Las Vegas on Friday stepped out momentarily to snap photos and were hit by blast-furnace air. But most will spend their vacations in a vastly different climate -- at casinos where the chilly air conditioning might require a light sweater.

Meanwhile, emergency room doctors were witnessing another world, as dehydrated construction workers, passed-out elderly residents and others suffered in an intense heat wave threatening to break the city's all-time record high of 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47.2 degrees Celsius) this weekend.

Few places in the scorching Southwest demonstrate the surreal contrast between indoor and outdoor life like Las Vegas, a neon-lit city rich with resorts, casinos, swimming pools, indoor nightclubs and shopping. Tens of millions of others across California and the Southwest, were also scrambling for ways to stay cool and safe from the dangers of extreme heat.

"We've been talking about this building heat wave for a week now, and now the most intense period is beginning," the National Weather Service wrote Friday.

Nearly a third of Americans were under extreme heat advisories, watches and warnings. The blistering heat wave was forecast to get worse this weekend for Nevada, Arizona and California, where desert temperatures were predicted to soar in parts past 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.8 degrees Celsius) during the day, and remain in the 90s F (above 32.2 C) overnight.

Sergio Cajamarca, his family and their dog, Max, were among those who lined up to pose for photos in front of the city's iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. The temperature before noon already topped 100 F (37.8 C).

"I like the city, especially at night. It's just the heat," said Cajamarca, 46, an electrician from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.