Perilous
Times and Climate Change
Heat wave plunges much of U.S. into a deep fryer
By Molly O'Toole | Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fiery reds and oranges nearly covered the
United States on meteorologist maps as a massive heat wave hit
hard in much of the country on Saturday.
Temperatures averaged up to 15 degrees above normal, with most
peaks in the 90s but triple digit heat expected to strike from
Montana to New Mexico, according to lead meteorologists for The
Weather Channel and The National Weather Service.
Paired with oppressive humidity, temperatures will feel even
hotter, as measured by the heat indexes.
The NWS issued excessive heat warnings and watches for the Midwest
from Texas to Canada, and heat index values over 110 degrees
Fahrenheit (43 C) are possible for portions of the central and
eastern United States by the middle of next week.
Locations affected are expected to see temperatures and heat
indexes of up to 117 degrees (47 C), including cities like
Minneapolis where that is extremely rare.
"The stage is being set for a massive heat wave to develop," the
National Weather service warned on Thursday.
"When your body temperatures rises on a hot day, as much as two
liters of sweat can pour out of ... sweat glands each hour," said
Weather Channel Senior Meteorologist Jonathan Erdman, meaning your
body has a harder time keeping cool.
Meteorologists predict the heat wave will hang on through as late
as Friday of next week. Following record heat that has already
blasted the country from early June, the prolonged high
temperatures pose special dangers to children and the elderly and
economic pain to farmers and ranchers.
While the year is entering its hottest time -- the latter half of
July -- an exceptional drought is exacerbating summer heat that
has broken daily, monthly and all-time record highs over the last
couple of months.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday that drought and
wildfires through spring and early summer have affected millions
of acres of cropland, forests and grasslands across the United
States.
In a statement directed to farmers and ranchers in states affected
by extreme weather, the USDA said drought conditions stretch from
Arizona to the southern Atlantic states.
In Colorado, the NWS forecasts temperatures to soar near triple
digits in the northern part of the state over the weekend, after
10 straight days of monsoon rains.
The southern part of the state did not see the rains, and it
remains in the grips of a multiyear drought that prompted Colorado
Governor John Hickenlooper this week to request federal drought
assistance in eight counties.
Most of Utah is expected to see temperatures in the 90s over the
weekend, according to the NWS, which also issued a red-flag
warning for extreme wildfire conditions in the southwest and
central parts of the state.
Several deaths in Tennessee, large swathes of which are rural and
poor, have been attributed to the prolonged heat wave -- in a few
cases, due to a lack of proper air conditioning.
Memphis Light Gas and Water began an emergency reconnection
program Friday for people who had been cut off for lack of
payment, letting them reconnect to the electricity that powers
cooling systems for one price, no matter how much they owe.
Next week the massive high pressure ridge suppressing storm and
cold fronts is expected to move from the central United States to
the east, spreading increasing heat to the Mississippi and Ohio
regions and East Coast.
(Additional reporting by Tim Ghianni in Nashville and Keith
Coffman in Denver; Editing by Jerry Norton and Todd Eastham)