A dangerous stretch of weather is affecting large parts of the United States at once. According to the report, nearly 58 million Americans are facing life-threatening heat, with extreme fire danger in the northwest and severe storms on the move in the east. The combination was described as a dangerous trio of weather hitting different regions of the country at the same time.
The heat is especially severe in the west. According to the report, parts of Southern California are under an extreme heat warning until tomorrow night, with temperatures expected to soar above 100 degrees from the southwest to the northern plains. The dangerous heat wave was described as gripping the west and parts of the south, including portions of Texas and Florida.
That heat is raising the risk of fire. According to the report, the combination of extreme heat, dry conditions, and gusty winds is raising the fire weather danger in the northwest. In Sonoma County, in northern California, firefighters responding to the Woodside Fire encountered walls of thick smoke and flying embers, and the blaze had already burned 143 acres, with dry trees contributing to spot fires.
The report tied the conditions to a broader weather pattern. According to the report, a growing heat dome is creating conditions for extreme wildfire behavior in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon is in the middle of what could be its worst wildfire season on record, burning more than 1.8 million acres, with more than half the state facing severe drought-level conditions.
The temperatures being recorded underline how intense the heat has become. According to the report, a skate park in Los Angeles read 120 degrees, and areas across the west were hitting triple-digit temperatures. One person quoted said the heat is just unbearable and that it is just too hot out there.
The conditions are also affecting emergency services. According to the report, in Phoenix, Arizona, the city's rescue helicopter was out of service during one of the hottest stretches of the year. Firefighters said mountain rescues that used to take as little as 30 minutes could now take three hours in the extreme heat.
The coast is facing its own hazard from the Pacific. According to the report, a hurricane in the Pacific, Hurricane Genevieve, is fueling waves as high as 10 feet and dangerous rip currents along roughly 700 miles of coastline. Beachgoers in southern California were urged to use caution, with concerns raised about rip currents and sneaker waves along the shoreline.