This Weekend, It's the West Enduring Record Heat

A heat wave gripped large swaths of the western US on Saturday as temperatures hovered near record highs, heightening wildfire risks in areas that already are dry or burning and prompting warnings for people to stay inside. A ridge of high pressure is holding heat close to the ground—creating a heat dome—from Arizona to Montana, though it won't last long, National Weather Service meteorologists said. Dangerous heat and warnings were plaguing the region Saturday, the AP reports, and the National Weather Service on Saturday forecast a high of 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Las Vegas, the highest temperature of the year. Forecasters warned that this heat, combined with drying from past heat, will add to wildfire risks across the West.

Phoenix was expected to reach 116, while El Centro, California, was looking at a record 118F. Parts of Montana were expected to broil, with a record 104 forecast for Great Falls. In Las Vegas, Saturday's forecast high was 10 degrees above normal, with meteorologists warning of dangerous heat through Sunday, when the high is expected to be 114, said weather service meteorologist Morgan Stessman. Overnight lows in the upper 80s to low 90s will make the situation especially dangerous because it doesn't allow people's bodies to recover. "There's just no relief overnight," Stessman said. People were being urged to stay indoors and hydrated.

At the Justa Center in Phoenix, which caters to seniors but opens to the public as a cooling center in the afternoon, the biggest challenge is keeping up with the need for water and electrolytes, said operations director Rudy Soliz. "Anybody can come in, get a meal, sign up, get checked in through the cooling center, sit down, relax, watch a little TV, you know, catch themselves before they move on to another cooling center or their destination," he said. In Montana, Great Falls Parks and Recreation's four swimming pools and three splash pads were crowded, said Katy Houseman, who works at a city recreation center. The visitors had a strategy. "They're definitely hitting the pools and doing the splash pads outside and then trying to hide inside where there's air conditioning," said Houseman.