Scorching Heat Across US West
There is currently a terrible heat wave across the U.S. West. The temperatures are getting so hot that some people are being forced to evacuate their homes. Wildfires raged in Los Angeles, a grove near Yosemite National Park, and the Sierra Nevada because of the heat. Fans are selling out in many stores, the air quality is suffering, and California is covered in a yellow and gray haze. Records were set for high heat in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, and in San Francisco. Firefighters are working hard to fight the flames, and California crews are trying to protect homes from the fires. Unluckily for them, more heat could possibly be coming their way.
Prior to reading this article, I knew that the climate in San Francisco and other parts of California is relatively mild. This extreme heat is nothing like what people there are used to, which makes it harder for their bodies to tolerate the heat. This experience is similar to the heatwave in Marble Bar, Australia from 1923-24. Temperatures reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for 160 days. The current heatwave in California isn't likely to last near as long as that one, but the effects of the heatwaves have similarities, like what it does to people occupying the area. Their bodies can't maintain their temperature and cool down as well as they normally can, which creates significant health issues.
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