The magnitude of the heat expected across the western United States through the coming week will be one for the record books, according to forecasters. And it’s not just how hot it will get that will set this particular heat wave apart from others the region has frequently endured in the past — it’s how long it will last.
In anticipation of the ramp up of heat, the National Weather Service has issued excessive heat watches and warnings for parts of central and Southern California, southern Nevada, western and southern Arizona and Utah. Many of these alerts begin on Monday and last through Friday.
Temperatures more typical of July and August will begin to be felt this weekend as the jet stream bulges northward and allows the hot air to flow into the region.
“The heat will only become more intense through the week,” AccuWeather meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.
In an area of the country that is no stranger to hot weather, the intensity and longevity of this heat wave is what has forecasters particularly concerned this go-round. Highs can trend as much as 15-25 degrees Fahrenheit above normal at the peak of the heat wave.
“No easy way to say this, so we’ll just cut straight to the chase: it’s going to be very hot for a long time next week,” the NWS office in Salt Lake City said on Twitter.
AccuWeather meteorologists are predicting Salt Lake City to tie or break its record highs each day from Sunday through Wednesday, with high temperatures near or topping 100 degrees. The longest-standing daily record that will be challenged is Sunday’s record of 100 that has lasted since 1918.
By Tuesday, Salt Lake City’s all-time record high for June of 105 could be in jeopardy of being tied or broken. The city’s record for consecutive triple-digit days of four will also be challenged.
In Phoenix, the NWS called the magnitude of the upcoming heat “rare, dangerous and deadly.”
From Monday through at least Thursday, the Valley of the Sun is forecast to challenge or fully break the high-temperature record each day with highs solidly in the 110s. The city has a significant chance to tie or break its record for consecutive 115-degree days of four.
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