Arizona set a new record Tuesday, reaching 110°F or more for the 19th consecutive day. It’s a record unlikely to last long, however, with forecasts predicting high temperatures of at least 115°F for another week or more. The extreme heat is especially dangerous — especially for unhoused people, incarcerated people, and those unable to afford air conditioning — given how little it abates overnight with low temperatures never dropping below 90°F Monday or Tuesday.
“Heat makes people sick. Heat makes people die,” Dr. Erik Mattison, director of the emergency department at Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center in Phoenix told the AP.
Electricity demand in the state also hit all-time highs multiple times in the last week. The heatwave pummeling the southern U.S. is one of four major heat domes across three continents — the others are over the North Atlantic, North Africa and the Mediterranean, and another in southern Asia where the heat index at Persian Gulf International Airport in Iran reported a heat index of 152°F over the weekend. (Arizona heat: AP, Washington Post $, The Guardian, New York Times $, The Hill, Democracy Now, New York Times $, Axios; Arizona power: Reuters; Arizona Republic; Incarcerated people: AP; Global heat: Bloomberg $, New York Times $, Axios, CNN, Axios PHOTOS; Iran heat: Washington Post $; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves)