A mid-October heat wave is bringing higher than normal temperatures to the Western U.S.
Temperatures were forecast to reach 10 to 25 degrees above normal for this time of year in some areas on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Americans were warned to “expect a number of record highs across the region.”
Here’s a look at forecast high temperatures on #Thursday. While it appears warm across much of the U.S., temperatures in the West will be 10 to 25 degrees above normal for this time of the year. So, expect a number of record highs across the region. pic.twitter.com/YQIqB7A2dN
— National Weather Service (@NWS) October 18, 2023
The heat wave is expected to abate in most areas by this weekend but nearly 23 million people were under heat advisories, watches and warnings as of Thursday, according to Heat.gov, a national government website that compiles NWS heat alert data.
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Parts of Central and Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona and Texas were covered by heat alerts on Thursday. Some areas in Southern California were warned they could see temperatures climb above 100 degrees.
People living in Phoenix have battled extreme heat often this year. The city set a new record between June 30 and July 30 for its greatest number of consecutive days with temperatures at or above 110 degrees.
Phoenix’s extreme heat pattern has continued this week, with its 102-degree temperature high recorded on Wednesday just 1 degree off its record. The 104-degree forecasts for Thursday and Friday will break records if temperatures climb as high as expected. Phoenix’s previous temperature records for October 19 and 20 were 101 and 103 degrees, respectively. NWS forecasters gave the city a 95 percent chance of tying its previous heat record for Thursday and a 70 percent chance of tying the record for Friday.
People who live in areas covered by heat alerts have been urged to stay hydrated, avoid spending time outdoors unnecessarily and apply sunscreen when doing so cannot be avoided.
This latest heat wave impacting the U.S. comes in the wake of several temperature records set over the summer. The season began with a hotter than normal June, which climate scientists later identified as Earth’s hottest June on record. That trend continued over the next three months, with July, August and September also clocking in as the world’s hottest on record for each month. July’s average temperatures set an additional record when scientists said it was the hottest month ever recorded.
Looking ahead to the winter months, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted that El Niño conditions will bring above-average temperatures to the Northern U.S. NOAA scientists declared the arrival of El Niño in June. At the time, climate experts predicted it would have the greatest impact on the U.S. between the late fall and spring of 2024.
Newsweek reached out to NOAA by email on Thursday for comment.