Record heat in the US, huge fires in California.
An extreme heat wave affected tens of millions of Americans this weekend, as record temperatures are expected in the central and northeastern United States and a wildfire is raging again in California.
“Extreme heat will continue into the central United States from where it will spread northeast through the weekend, and record temperatures are expected across the region today (Saturday) and Sunday,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
“This heat will promote severe weather in the northern Midwest today, with a high risk of damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes,” the NWS continued.
Sparina, which makes breathing difficult and shows the extent of the threat of climate change, has been felt in the capital Washington, where the temperature can exceed the symbolic threshold of 37 to 38 degrees Celsius, in New York 35 degrees and in Boston 37 degrees.
Temperatures could reach 43 degrees in parts of Utah (west), Arizona (south) and the Northeast, according to the NWS. Such high temperature values increase the risk of fire.
In the west of the USA on Friday, a huge “Oak Fire” fire broke out in Mariposi County, near Yosemite National Park, whose giant sequoias were already threatened by fire ten days ago.
The “Oak Fire,” which burned more than 2,500 acres, has already consumed a dozen and damaged five properties.
It’s far from under control, according to a report released Saturday morning by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. In recent years, the American West has been ravaged by wildfires of incredible size and intensity.
In June 2021, a “heat dome” of rare intensity created chaos along the entire West Coast of the US and Canada, leaving more than 500 dead and causing massive fires, with temperatures reaching nearly 50 degrees Celsius.