A report highlights how extreme heat affects your well-being 2:12
(CNN) --
The brutal heat that has gripped several western states is set to persist through the holiday weekend, and for the third day in a row, Californians are being advised to cut back on their electricity usage to avoid blackouts.
More than 45 million people are under a heat alert in most of California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and in parts of Utah and Arizona.
Forecasts point to temperatures above 37.7 °C for this Friday in cities like Redding, 40.5 °C;
in Fresno, 42.7 °C;
and Bakersfield, 41.1°C, California;
Redmond, Oregon, with 39.4 ° C;
and Yakima, Washington, where 37.7 °C would be reached.
In Nevada, Las Vegas could reach 43.3 °C.
"September kicks off with scorching temperatures across the western United States, as highs are forecast to once again threaten daily and even monthly records heading into Labor Day weekend," the Center said on Friday morning. Weather Prediction (WPC).
"The heat wave will pose a high to very high risk to the general population, particularly the elderly and those without adequate air conditioning, due to both the intensity of the high temperatures and the duration of the wave. of heat," the National Weather Service previously warned.
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The western US will face a prolonged record heat wave this week
High temperature records for September were set Thursday in Salt Lake City, with a temperature of 38.8 °C, and in Lancaster, California, with a temperature of 44.4 °C.
Dozens of daily records were reached throughout the region.
Millions of Californians are being urged to reduce their electricity usage between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. this Friday.
The California Independent System Operator, which manages 80% of the state's power grid, issued the third
flex alert
of the week, asking residents to be mindful of their electricity use.
"The Flex Alert covers the time of day when the grid is most stressed by higher demand and lower solar power," the operator explained.
The operator has also asked residents to pre-cool their homes before 4pm and to set their thermostats to 25.5°C during curtailment hours and to avoid charging their electric vehicles.
Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Orange and Fresno counties have opened cooling centers.
Officials have also compiled a list of all refrigeration centers in the state.
People walk with umbrellas in the Los Angeles heat.
Why is this heat wave different?
High summer temperatures have been the norm in California, but what makes this heat wave especially dangerous is how long it is expected to last in much of the state.
Also, there will be little relief during the night hours.
"Even after the sun goes down, heat can be a real danger, especially in big cities. Dark pavement and buildings are very effective at absorbing heat," the Weather Service office in Los Angeles said.
And because of that, higher temperatures are more common in big cities, making them susceptible to becoming an "urban heat island," the agency explained.
The Weather Service defines a heat wave as an abnormally hot and humid period of weather that lasts more than two days.
Drought and extreme heat are hitting the world's three largest economies at the same time
Excessive heat has killed more people than any other extreme weather event in the United States.
Heat deaths have outnumbered those from hurricanes by a ratio of more than 15 to 1 over the past decade, according to data recorded by the National Weather Service.
Climate change imposes conditions that have made extreme weather events more deadly and more common.
In Arizona, where temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees this weekend, 111 people have died from heat-related complications this year in Maricopa County as of Wednesday, according to a report from the Department of Health. County public.
The report indicates that 38% of deaths have occurred in people between 50 and 64 years of age, and that 80% of deaths have occurred outdoors.
-- Paradise Afshar, Taylor Romine and Alaa Elassar contributed reporting.
California heat wave