Recommendations include heat forecasts and outdoor-worker safeguards to prevent thousands of deaths and injuries
Millions of Americans face the threat of dangerous heatwaves in the coming weeks with another summer of record-breaking temperatures forecast to hit the US.
Most of New Mexico and Utah – alongside parts of Arizona, Texas and Colorado – have the highest chance (60% to 70%) of seeing hotter-than-average summer temperatures, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). In addition, the entire north-east – from Maine down to Pennsylvania and New Jersey – as well as a large stretch from Louisiana to Arizona, Washington and Idaho, have a 40% to 50% chance of experiencing above-average temperatures from June through August.
Only south-west Alaska is expected to have below-normal temperatures.
“We can expect another dangerous hot summer season, with daily records already being broken in parts of Texas and Florida,” said Kristy Dahl, principal climate scientist for the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
My mom keeps saying how unusual it is for it to be in the 90s right now where they are in Arkansas. They just moved there. I keep telling her that this is going to be more and more normal but I don’t think that is setting in. I think my dad is catching on though because in the background I heard him say it would get even hotter where they used to live and I agreed but also mentioned that doesn’t happen until August, not before summer even happens. You can guess how they vote.