Parts of the Western United States could see record-breaking temperatures in the coming days, the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center warned, with heat advisories in place from Southern California to Yosemite and stretching west into Las Vegas.
The scorching weather is expected to be focused over inland California, Nevada, Utah and portions of Oregon and Idaho, with the worst of the heat centered over California on Friday before shifting east to Nevada and Utah on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, temperatures could reach up to 106 Fahrenheit in Las Vegas, 100 in the Yosemite Valley, 100 in Boise and 93 in Salt Lake City — all close to or above the highest ever recorded in those locations on the date.
“We’re looking at extreme heat across much of the West,” said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center. “There are 15 sites out West that will get close to or could break a record.”
Mr. Hurley said the warm-up would be short-lived, with temperatures dropping in California on Sunday and to the east on Monday. (He stopped short of calling it a heat wave, which is usually defined as a period of abnormally hot weather that lasts more than two days.)
It’s “a bit early” in the year for these areas to see such high temperatures, Mr. Hurley said.
The National Weather Service in Las Vegas issued an extreme heat warning for Friday and Saturday and advised people to avoid outdoor activities.
In California, the worst of the heat is expected across the Central Valley, in desert areas and up and down the Sierra Nevada, with temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above normal on Friday and Saturday. (Coastal areas of California are forecast to be cooler, with afternoon temperatures in the high 70s in San Francisco and in the 80s in Los Angeles.)
Weather Service offices in California warned of “major heat risk” in the Central Valley and Sierra foothills, where some locations could hit 109 degrees on Friday and Saturday.
In Yosemite National Park, the valley is expected to bake with temperatures in the high 90s and potentially reaching 100 degrees; higher elevations, such as Glacier Point, will be cooler, with afternoon highs in the 60s and 70s.
“All that granite in the valley heats up,” said Carlos Molina, a meteorologist with the Weather Service office in Hanford, Calif. “It creates its own microclimate in the valley.”
Amid a changing climate, heat is becoming increasingly extreme and deadly. Last year, a study found a 117 percent increase in heat-related deaths from 1999 to 2023, with a particularly notable increase since 2016.
Temperatures across Nevada, Idaho and Utah are gradually increasing through the week and are expected to remain above normal through the weekend.
Salt Lake City is predicted to see its first reading of the year in the 90s on Thursday, about a week earlier than is typical, according to Hayden Mahan, a meteorologist with the Weather Service. By the weekend, the city could see temperatures in the mid-90s, over 10 degrees above normal.
By Saturday, a storm system off the Baja coast could funnel some tropical moisture into parts of Southern California, especially the greater San Diego area, bringing a chance of light rain. By Monday and Tuesday, temperatures across California are expected to be well below normal as the weather pattern shifts to cooler conditions.
Amy Graff is a Times reporter covering weather, wildfires and earthquakes.
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