Excessive heat watch in effect for Seattle and most of the Western US

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Excessive heat watch in effect for Seattle and most of the Western US

******************************************************************************

Punishing heat wave hits western U.S.

Updated 9:26 PM ET
DEATH VALLEY, Calif. Scorching heat blistered the Southwest on Saturday, where highs between 115 and 120 degrees were expected for parts of Arizona, Nevada and California through the weekend.
Forecasters said temperatures in sunbaked Las Vegas could match the record of 117 degrees Saturday; as of late afternoon, it was 115 degrees. Phoenix hit 119 degrees by mid-afternoon, breaking the record for June 29 that was set in 1994. And large swaths of California sweltered under extreme heat warnings, which are expected to last into Tuesday night — and maybe even longer.

How to stay cool during a sweltering heat wave

Dan Kail was vacationing in Las Vegas when he heard that the temperature at California's Death Valley could approach 130 degrees this weekend. He didn't hesitate to make a trip to the desert location that is typically the hottest place on the planet.
"Coming to Death Valley in the summertime has always been on the top of my bucket list," the 67-year-old Pittsburgh man said. "When I found out it might set a record I rented a car and drove straight over. If it goes above 130 I will have something to brag about."
The forecast called for Death Valley to reach 128 degrees Saturday as part of a heat wave that has caused large parts of the western U.S. to suffer. At 4 p.m. PDT, the temperature was 122 degrees. Death Valley's record high of 134 degrees, set a century ago, stands as the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

Play Video

West to get even hotter

Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli of CBS Station WFOR Miami reported Saturday evening that we are going to see a prolonged heat wave continue for the next several days in the desert southwest. Sunday could see high temperatures near 130 degrees in Death Valley and these temperatures are going to be very slow to cool down over the next several days -- that heat wave is going to stick around.
A couple hours south in Baker, the temperature was expected to peak at 120 degrees in the road tripper's oasis in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 15. The strip of gas stations and restaurants between Los Angeles and Las Vegas is known by travelers for the giant thermometer that often notes temperatures in the triple digits.