US swelters as blazing heat stretches from California to Florida
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In the first half of 2023, temperatures have been soaring in the eastern and southern US.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – Nearly 25 per cent of the United States population is facing high, wilting temperatures that show no sign of abating any time soon,
From California and Texas to Oklahoma and Arkansas, about 46 million people are under excessive heat warnings while another 36 million are under the less severe, but very uncomfortable, heat advisories stretching as far north as Missouri and east to Florida, the National Weather Service said.
The oppressive conditions across the southern US could continue till next week, according to forecaster Ashton Robinson of the US Weather Prediction Centre. “That is oppressive heat for sure. I would think the duration of this heatwave is pretty unusual.”
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s grid operator, expects near-record demand through the week as temperatures soar above 37.8 deg C in many parts, with humidity making it feel even hotter.
San Antonio will reach 39.4 deg C on Wednesday and the heat index will rise to 42.8 deg C, while Houston will hit 37.2 deg C but with a heat index reading of 43.9 deg C. High temperatures can also slow rail freight traffic and lead to airline delays.
The jet stream, a ribbon of winds that moves weather patterns around the world, has been far to the north, allowing the heat to build across the southern US and Mexico. In addition, the Gulf of Mexico has been very warm, pushing humid air inland across the south, Mr Robinson said.
“Because the moisture is so high in the air mass, it decreases the ability of the air mass to cool off,” he added.
In California, Sacramento is forecast to reach 35.6 deg C on Wednesday and a scorching 41.1 deg C by Friday and 43.3 deg C on Saturday, the weather service said. Fresno will hit 37.8 deg C on Wednesday through the weekend.
Across northern Mexico, which also saw grid problems in June, temperatures are forecast to hit 40 deg C to 45 deg C in the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, according to the Servicio Meteorologico Nacional.
In the first half of 2023, temperatures have been soaring in the eastern and southern US.
Florida posted its hottest January-to-June period in records going back to 1895, while Massachusetts had its second-warmest start, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
In addition, 27 other states had their top 10 warmest first six months on record.
Even so, because of cooler and average conditions across the west, the US as a whole saw only its 21st-warmest first half on record. BLOOMBERG
