The first day of summer is here, and we’re getting spanked with blistering temperatures in the southwest. Arizona, California, Utah, and Nevada have seen insanely-high temperatures up to 118 degrees Fahrenheit, and they’re expected to top out at 120 degrees.
This extreme heat wave has proven to be lethal. So far, 4 people have died in Arizona as a result of the high temperatures (all were hikers and mountain bikers). The scorching heat, mixed with the extremely low humidity, is also causing a phenomenon of massive fires raging in New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California.
Image from CNN weather
Heat of this magnitude is a rarity. According to CNN Meteorologist Rachel Aissen, it is the result of an occurrence called a “heat dome”. This happens when the upper atmosphere is not allowing air to escape a particular location, while said area is experiencing tremendous heat. Basically the hot air is rising and bouncing right back down to the Earth’s surface. Kind of like a convection oven.
In response to the life-threatening weather, many cities have issued heat warnings, and have asked residences to take precautionary measures to avoid power outages as well as health threats.
While the southwestern U.S. is being cooked alive, Hawaii received a dusting of snow Friday. The peak of Mauna Kea, which is the highest peak on the Big Island, got hit with a 1.5 inch layer of snow. It’s not uncommon for this particular peak to get snow throughout the colder months, but snow in the middle of June is pretty strange.
