Hundreds of Thousands Told To Avoid Sun: 'Deadliest Weather Phenomenon'
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been advised to stay out of the sun this week due to "dangerously hot conditions" forecast in two states.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued extreme heat warnings for large swathes of southern Arizona and southeast California from Tuesday morning until Thursday evening.
Temperatures are forecast to reach 119 degrees Fahrenheit in parts, and the warnings cover major urban areas including Phoenix.
A heat wave in the Death Valley National Park, California, in July 2024.
A heat wave in the Death Valley National Park, California, in July 2024.
Ty ONeil/AP
Why It Matters
The NWS warned there will be a major heat risk in affected areas, and that overexposure to the sun can lead to heat cramps, exhaustion and eventually heat stroke.
"Don't underestimate the heat! It is the deadliest weather phenomenon in the USA," it said. "An extreme heat warning means that a period of very hot temperatures, even by local standards, will occur. Actions should be taken to lessen the impact of the extreme heat.
"Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors."
It added: "Do not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles. Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes."
What To Know
In Arizona, the extreme heat warnings are in effect from 10 a.m. on Tuesday until 8 p.m. on Thursday. Counties impacted by the warnings include: Yuma, La Paz, Yavapai, Maricopa, Gila, Pinal, Pima, Graham, Greenlee, Coconino.
In parts of Phoenix, home to around 1.65 million people, temperatures could reach 117 degrees Fahrenheit.
In California, extreme heat warnings are in force from 10 a.m. on Wednesday until 8 p.m. on Thursday. Counties impacted by the warnings include: San Diego, Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino.
In its warning, the NWS said: "Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible, reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing when possible and drink plenty of water.
"To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 911."
What People Are Saying
The NWS forecast office in Phoenix wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: "Extreme heat is back in the forecast this week. Temperatures will continue to climb each day, peaking on Wednesday when highs are expected to reach 110F-116F across the lower deserts. Make sure you take extra precautions and practice smart heat safety."
"Drink a cup of cool water every 20 minutes, even if you aren't thirsty. For long jobs, drink a beverage with electrolytes. Take regular breaks to rest. During hot conditions, skipping breaks is not safe! Seek periodic breaks in the AC if possible. Spend time in the shade when outdoors."
The NWS forecast office in Los Angeles wrote on X: "Hotter weather is on it's way starting Tuesday. Temps will peak Wednesday and Thursday this week across most areas, but heat may linger through the weekend across the interior areas. Ensure you are prepared for the heat and know the signs and what to do in case of heat illness."
What Happens Next
The extreme heat warnings for the affected regions are currently set to remain in force until 8 p.m. on Thursday.
Regular forecast updates are issued by the NWS on its website.
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USA Today
20 minutes ago
- USA Today
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The catastrophe was caused by a perfect storm of difficult-to-forecast rainfall and fast-moving water. Some wonder if budget cuts made things worse. The Texas rains hadn't even slowed before the debate began about why forecasts had underestimated the devastating flooding over Independence Day weekend. Local and state officials, social media users and even the meteorology community raised questions. What were the National Weather Service forecasts? Why is it so hard to know where rain will fall? Did staff reductions at the weather service, and other budget cuts by the Trump administration contribute to the catastrophe? What role did weather balloons play in the storm forecasts? Answers to some of these questions and many others may never be adequately answered, especially for the families of dozens of children swept away by floodwaters. At least 81 people died between July 4 and 6 and dozens more were injured or remain missing, state officials said. 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Newsweek
25 minutes ago
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Boston Globe
31 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
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Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'This was an exceptional service to come out first with the catastrophic flash flood warning and this shows the awareness of the meteorologists on shift at the NWS office,' said Brian LaMarre, who retired at the end of April as the meteorologist-in-charge of the NWS forecast office in Tampa, Florida. ″There is always the challenge of pinpointing extreme values, however, the fact the catastrophic warning was issued first showed the level of urgency.' Advertisement Questions linger about level of coordination Questions remain, however, about the level of coordination and communication between NWS and local officials on the night of the disaster. The Trump administration has cut hundreds of jobs at NWS, with staffing down by at least 20% at nearly half of the 122 NWS field offices nationally and at least a half dozen no longer staffed 24 hours a day. 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'The people are being tired out, working through the night and then being there during the day because the next shift is short staffed. Anything like that could create a situation in which important elements of forecasts and warnings are missed.' Advertisement After returning to office in January, Trump issued a series of executive orders empowering the Department of Government Efficiency, initially led by mega-billionaire Elon Musk, to enact sweeping staff reductions and cancel contracts at federal agencies, bypassing significant Congressional oversight. Though Musk has now departed Washington and had a very public falling out with Trump, DOGE staffers he hired and the cuts he sought have largely remained, upending the lives of tens of thousands of federal employees. 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Advertisement NOAA's main satellite operations center briefly appeared earlier this year on a list of surplus government real estate set to be sold. Trump's proposed budget also seeks to shutter key facilities for tracking climate change. The proposed cuts include the observatory atop the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii that for decades has documented the steady rise in plant-warming carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. On June 25, NOAA abruptly announced that the U.S. Department of Defense would no longer process or transmit data from three weather satellites experts said are crucial to accurately predicting the path and strength of hurricanes at sea. 'Removing data from the defense satellite is similar to removing another piece to the public safety puzzle for hurricane intensity forecasting,' said LaMarre, now a private consultant. 'The more pieces removed, the less clear the picture becomes which can reduce the quality of life-saving warnings.' 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Advertisement Asked by AP how the NWS could simultaneously be fully staffed and still advertise 'mission critical positions' as open, Commerce spokesperson Kristen Eichamer said the 'National Hurricane Center is fully staffed to meet this season's demand, and any recruitment efforts are simply meant to deepen our talent pool.' 'The secretary is committed to providing Americans with the most accurate, up-to-date weather data by ensuring the National Weather Service is fully equipped with the personnel and technology it needs,' Eichamer said. 'For the first time, we are integrating technology that's more accurate and agile than ever before to achieve this goal, and with it the NWS is poised to deliver critical weather information to Americans.' Uccellini and the four prior NWS directors who served under Democratic and Republican presidents criticized the Trump cuts in an open letter issued in May; they said the administration's actions resulted in the departures of about 550 employees — an overall reduction of more than 10 percent. 'NWS staff will have an impossible task to continue its current level of services,' they wrote. 'Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life. We know that's a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines – and by the people who depend on their efforts.' NOAA's budget for fiscal year 2024 was just under $6.4 billion, of which less than $1.4 billion went to NWS. Experts worry about forecasts for hurricanes While experts say it would be illegal for Trump to eliminate NOAA without Congressional approval, some former federal officials worry the cuts could result in a patchwork system where taxpayers finance the operation of satellites and collection of atmospheric data but are left to pay private services that would issue forecasts and severe weather warnings. That arrangement, critics say, could lead to delays or missed emergency alerts that, in turn, could result in avoidable deaths. Advertisement D. James Baker, who served as NOAA's administrator during the Clinton administration, questioned whether private forecasting companies would provide the public with services that don't generate profits. 'Would they be interested in serving small communities in Maine, let's say?' Baker asked. 'Is there a business model that gets data to all citizens that need it? Will companies take on legal risks, share information with disaster management agencies, be held accountable as government agencies are? Simply cutting NOAA without identifying how the forecasts will continue to be provided is dangerous.' Though the National Hurricane Center in Miami has been largely spared staff reductions like those at regional NWS offices, some professionals who depend on federal forecasts and data greeted the June start of the tropical weather season with profound worry. In an unusual broadcast on June 3, longtime South Florida TV meteorologist John Morales warned his viewers that the Trump administration cuts meant he might not be able to provide as accurate forecasts for hurricanes as he had in years past. He cited staffing shortfalls of between 20% and 40% at NWS offices from Tampa to Key West and urged his NBC 6 audience in greater Miami to call their congressional representatives. 'What we are starting to see is that the quality of the forecasts is becoming degraded,' Morales said. 'And we may not know exactly how strong a hurricane is before it reaches the coastline.' AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein contributed.
