Washington-Sana
Meteorologists in the United States warned of a record rise in temperatures in the west of the country.
According to Agence France-Presse, meteorologists issued a warning notice for most of the Pacific Ocean and large areas inland west of the Rocky Mountains, as well as many city centers, including Phoenix and San Jose.
"More than 30 million people are covered by the alert or warning bulletin," experts said, adding that dangerously high temperatures and dry conditions are expected to continue over the coming days.
Temperatures have soared recently in these areas, with the US National Weather Service indicating that Las Vegas was at an all-time high with 47.2°C, the level the city in the middle of the Nevada desert first reached in 1942.
This new heat wave comes less than three weeks after the previous wave that hit the western United States and Canada at the end of last June, causing record temperatures to exceed three consecutive days in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
The number of deaths resulting from the first wave is estimated at several hundred in the absence of an official toll.