A scorching heat wave is causing large parts of the USA to groan, claiming lives in the West and affecting the East

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. — After claiming lives and breaking records in the West over the weekend, a long-lasting heat wave will once again hit the United States Monday, with triple-digit temperatures forecast for much of the East Coast.

Dangerous temperatures caused the death of a motorcyclist in Death Valley.

The heat wave in the United States came as global temperatures hit a record high for the 13th consecutive month in June and the 12th month in a row that the Earth was 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times, the European climate service Copernicus said in a statement early Monday.

An extreme heat warning, the highest level of warning issued by the National Weather Service, was in effect for about 36 million people, or about 10% of the population, meteorologist Bryan Jackson said. Dozens of locations in the West and Pacific Northwest met or exceeded previous heat records.

On Saturday and Sunday, maximum temperatures of over 58 degrees Celsius were measured in Death Valley National Park in Eastern California. One visitor died there on Saturday as a result of excessive heat, and another person was hospitalized, authorities said.

The two visitors were part of a group of six motorcyclists who were riding through the Badwater Basin area in scorching hot weather, the park said in a statement.

The identity of the deceased person has not been determined. The other motorcyclist was taken to a Las Vegas hospital for “severe heat illness,” the statement said. The high temperatures prevented rescue helicopters from responding because the aircraft generally cannot fly safely in temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, officials said.

The other four members of the group were treated on site.

“While it is very exciting to experience potentially world-record temperatures in Death Valley, we advise visitors to choose their activities carefully and avoid spending extended periods of time outside of an air-conditioned vehicle or building during such high temperatures,” said park ranger Mike Reynolds.

Officials warned that heat illnesses and injuries are cumulative and can build up over the course of one or more days.

“In addition to not being able to cool down while riding due to the high ambient temperatures, experiencing Death Valley by motorcycle in this heat is another challenge, as heavy safety equipment must be worn to avoid injury in the event of an accident,” the park’s statement said.

On the other side of the Nevada desert, a new temperature record of 49 °C was set in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Triple-digit temperatures were common across Oregon, with several records broken, including in Salem, where temperatures reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, surpassing the 90 degrees Fahrenheit mark set in 1960. On the wetter east coast, temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit were common, though no extreme heat warnings were issued for Sunday.

“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, avoid the sun and check on relatives and neighbors,” says a weather warning for the Baltimore area. “Small children and pets should never be left unattended in the car under any circumstances.” Heat records broken throughout the Southwest

Isolated heat warnings were even extended to higher elevations, for example around Lake Tahoe on the border between California and Nevada. The weather service in Reno, Nevada, warned of “significant heat risks, even in the mountains.”

“How hot is it? Well, highs won’t drop below 100 degrees until next weekend,” the service wrote online. “And unfortunately, there won’t be much relief overnight either.”

Even more extreme highs are expected in the near future, including possibly 130°F (54.4°C) around midweek in Furnace Creek, California, in Death Valley. The highest temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was 131°F (56°C) in Death Valley in July 1913, although some experts dispute that measurement and say the true record is 132°F (54°C) recorded there in July 2021.

Weber reported from Los Angeles. Writers Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, and Walter Berry in Phoenix contributed to this report.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications.