Over 80 mln Americans under heat alerts

LOS ANGELES, July 18, (Xinhua/GNA) — More than 80 million people in the United States, nearly one-third of the population, are under heat alerts as an oppressive heat wave, continues to sweep across the country.

Triple-digit temperatures are set to impact residents in the West and the South of the country, with multiple cities expected to break heat records in the coming weekend, according to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS).

Heat advisories, excessive heat warnings and excessive heat watches have been in place in states including California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma and Florida.

Temperatures in some desert areas soared past 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and remained in the 90s overnight. California’s Death Valley hit as high as 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53.33 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, according to NWS.The heat wave is one part of the extreme weather conditions hitting the United States.

Heavy thunderstorms, tropical storms and wildfire smoke also impact some areas of the country.

GNA