A Heat Wave Is Roasting the Southwest This Week

Temperatures and heat indices as high as 110 degrees are expected throughout Arizona, Texas, and Florida.

The suns sets behind the Rocky Mountains after daytime high temperatures reached above 90-degrees Fahrenheit, 32 Celsius, on June 26, 2023, in Denver.
The suns sets behind the Rocky Mountains after daytime high temperatures reached above 90-degrees Fahrenheit, 32 Celsius, on June 26, 2023, in Denver.
Photo: David Zalubowski (AP)

A heat dome has settled over a large swath of the Southwest, bringing triple-digit temperatures to millions of Americans.

“Widespread highs of 100F+ can be expected across the southern High Plains and Southwest, with higher temperatures possible over Arizona,” an alert from the NWS said.

Cities across Southern and Central Arizona are already seeing sky-high temperatures, and are expected to see the worst of the heat in the middle of this week, NPR reported. Arizona is supposed to be hot during the summer, but this week’s temperatures are alarmingly high. “The high temperature this afternoon at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport was 112°, which is five degrees above normal,” Phoenix’s NWS station tweeted yesterday.

Nearby Texas isn’t going to be spared, either. Communities that had to sweat it out during a June heat wave that strained the state’s grid are in for another round. Southern Texas is expected to see heat indices over 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius), according to the NWS alert.

South Florida is also going to experience sweltering heat this week. The combination of high temperatures and high humidity over the region will also bring heat indices up to around 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius). The heat advisory over that part of the state is expected to last until this Wednesday.

“Dangerous conditions are possible if citizens are unable to find relief in air-conditioned buildings,” the NWS alert warned.

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