NUT Desk- LOS ANGELES: Much of the western United States is braced for record heat waves this week, with approximately 50 million Americans placed on alert Tuesday for “excessive” temperatures, which could approach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) in some areas.
“A prolonged and record-breaking heat wave is underway across the western US,” said the US National Weather Service, with “above normal to extreme high temperatures” expected at least through the weekend.
The heat wave, which stretches like a blob over much of the western third of the US map, extends east to west from Wyoming to California, and north to south from Idaho to Arizona.
Average temperatures in the vast region are around 20 degrees Fahrenheit above the seasonal norm, with the arid desert states of Arizona and Nevada most likely to shatter records.
The Arizona city of Phoenix experienced temperatures of 115 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday but forecasters predict it could pass 118 degrees by the end of the week, with lows in the upper-80s at nights.
