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According to the Union of Conscious Scientists (UCS), at least 103 million people in 15 states will face sweltering temperatures this week. In some cases figures of 120 degrees could be reached in parts of the middle section of the country.
According to the report, conditions include flooding, high temperatures, tropical storms and situations conducive to wildfires.
According to the company specialized in weather forecasting, AccuWeather, since the beginning of the week Excessive heat warnings are in effect for 16 states stretching from Texas and Louisiana to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The heat picked up over the weekend in the south-central states, and Wichita, Kansas, hit an astonishing 111 temperatures Saturday afternoon, falling just 3 degrees short of its all-time August high of 114.
Triple-digit readings will persist in this part of the midsection of the country for the rest of the week, while also expanding north into the Central Plains and Midwest, bringing the hottest temperatures of the summer, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.
Record temperatures are expected to be broken for consecutive days in places like Minneapolis; Chicago; DesMoines, Iowa; Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri; Little Rock, Arkansas; Dallas; and New Orleans; among dozens of other places. Some of the all-time highs date back to a period of extreme heat in August 1936. The Dust Bowl era of the 1930s was one of the hottest decades on record for the central United States.
Given this, Kristina Dahl, principal climate scientist at UCS, also explained to the EFE agency that “Among the population groups that experience the most damage from extremely high temperatures are outdoor workers.”
“They are the ones who must work outdoors and we know that among these workers, Latinos are disproportionately represented. Also the elderly are susceptible to heat disorders,” he insisted.
However, heat is not the only risk factor, as the map, which UCS updates daily, shows Flood watches for eastern California to Nevada, southwestern Utah, western Oregon, central and western Idaho, and southwestern Texas.
Wildfire conditions identified by UCS extend across southern Texas and on the border of Colorado and Kansas.
“28% of the population currently facing warnings live in areas designated as disadvantaged,” said UCS, which identifies “danger season” as the period between May and October, when North America experiences the worst climate impacts.
“Since May 1, 96% of the US population has experienced at least one extreme weather alert,” the organization noted. “Climate change makes weather events more extreme.”
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