PHOENIX — The first day of summer brought some of the worst heat the Southwest U.S. has seen in years, forcing flights to be canceled, straining the power grid and making life miserable for workers toiling in temperatures that reached 120 degrees or higher in some desert cities.
Arizona, Nevada and California saw dramatic temperatures Tuesday as researchers say deadly heat waves like this one were going to grow more frequent.
Meteorologists in Phoenix said Tuesday evening the temperature topped out at 119 degrees — one that has only been matched or surpassed four other times.
The forecast called for a high of 120 degrees in Phoenix, which it hasn’t seen in more than two decades. Death Valley, Calif., reached 125 and Palm Springs hit 121, still a degree lower than the same day last year.
The operator of California’s power grid called on people to conserve electricity during peak hours.
Las Vegas also baked. Visitors tried to stay inside air-conditioned casinos, and some tourists lugged packs of bottled water around the Strip. Others went to a bar where the temperature is set at 23 degrees and glasses, walls and seats are sculpted from ice.
With cooling and hydration stations in full swing across the region, hundreds flocked to Grace Lutheran Church in Phoenix for water and refuge.
“We have homeless people come from a long way to sit here,” longtime volunteer Moses Elder said. “There are other spots where you can go get cold water and sit down and cool off, but there are few places you can lay down and get something to eat.”
Phoenix has hit 120 only three times in recorded history. The record high was 122 degrees on June 26, 1990.
In the Southwest U.S., the heat has caused several problems this week.
In addition to grounding more than 40 flights of smaller planes, airlines have been taking other measures on larger jets to reduce their weight. American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein said the carrier began limiting sales on some flights to prevent the planes from exceeding maximum weight for safe takeoff in the hot conditions.
