By Jeremy Lewan and Kathryn Prociv - NBC News
Tens of millions of people in the United States are on alert for record high temperatures again this Friday as the heat wave enters its seventh day in the west of the country.
The
experts warn not to
walk barefoot on the asphalt or touch handles cars with unprotected hands
for fear of third -
degree burns.
Temperatures in Arizona, Nevada and Colorado shot up to 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit Thursday, and the
scorching
heat
also spread eastward to Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa,
breaking record after record by late spring standards.
Tucson and Phoenix, in Arizona; and Las
Vegas, Nevada,
broke their all-time records with temperatures above 110 degrees.
[USA. it is probably the hottest place on the planet. High temperatures affect more than 110 million people]
Denver, Colorado, hit 100 degrees again, in
an unusual three-day stretch of triple-digit temperatures.
This is only the sixth time it has occurred in this city in its recorded history, and the earliest in the year on record.
Palm Springs, California, reached 123 degrees,
its highest temperature of all time in June,
and tied its all-time high.
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But America's hottest location was once again California's Death Valley, where temperatures soared to 128 degrees.
It is just one degree lower than the hottest temperature on record in June of 129, and
six below the record for hottest on the planet.
Highs this Friday will once again be 10-30 degrees above average across the West, and parts of the Midwest will also be scorching hot.
St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, are on alert because
the temperature, combined with the high humidity, will
lead to heat indices of 105-110 degrees.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, and
the state's second-largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, could sink so low that its hydroelectric power plant could be forced to shut down for the first time.
Lake Mead has already dropped to record levels last week, and the Arizona fire chief said Wednesday that they will not be able to send helicopters to collect water from lakes and reservoirs in the event of a fire.
Visitors hike the Badwater Basin salt flats within Death Valley National Park on June 17, 2021 in Inyo County, California.Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Now that there is a diminished capacity to produce energy and an overwhelming need for electricity to cool homes, power grid operators are pleading with residents to keep consumption to its essentials.
[Texas asks to limit electricity consumption due to the risk of blackouts due to the extreme heat wave]
As the drought has intensified, exacerbated by extreme heat,
the potential for rapid fire spread remains critically high in several states.
almost all of Utah and Nevada were covered by red flag warnings.
The heat is forecast to ease early next week.
But experts advise citizens to continue to
stay hydrated, stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day and, if they must go outside, keep it brief and wear light-colored, lightweight clothing.
This has been an exceptional heat wave for the month of June, especially since
the official start of summer is not until Sunday.