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‘Extraordinarily hot’: US heatwave stretches on with millions still under warnings
A prolonged heatwave across the United States has placed tens of millions under extreme heat warnings, with record temperatures in several cities and a third major heat dome event in a month. The heat has contributed to a deadly wildfire season, with over 3.6 million acres burned and dozens of uncontained fires burning across multiple states.
A severe and prolonged heatwave continues to grip large parts of the United States, with tens of millions of people under extreme heat warnings or excessive heat advisories as a third major heat dome event in a month settles over the country. Record temperatures have been recorded in several cities, and the heat has contributed to a deadly wildfire season, with more than 3.6 million acres of land scorched and dozens of uncontained fires burning across multiple states.
Coverage comparison
Reports from The Guardian describe a heatwave that began over the weekend and is expected to persist into the coming week, affecting a vast swathe of the country from the Gulf of Mexico coast to the Great Plains and the midwest. One report states that at least 40 million people were under extreme heat warnings across central and southern parts of the US on Sunday, while another says about 70 million people are set to face excessive heat advisories as dangerously hot temperatures scorch much of the country’s southern and central states. The variation in figures reflects different time frames and warning criteria cited by the National Weather Service.
Key claims
At least 40 million people were under extreme heat warnings across central and southern parts of the United States on Sunday, according to The Guardian.
About 70 million people in the US are set to face excessive heat advisories, as reported by The Guardian.
Record temperature highs were reached in Billings, Montana (111F/43.9C) and Salt Lake City, Utah (109F/42.8C) on Sunday, as reported by The Guardian.
Rapid City, South Dakota reported an all-time high of 112F on Saturday, according to The Guardian.
The heat is being caused by a heat dome, a phenomenon where atmospheric pressure traps heat over a region, suppressing clouds and storms and causing hot and dry conditions, according to Cara Schulte, a researcher at advocacy group Climate Rights International, as quoted by The Guardian.
This is the third major heat dome event to hit the US in the past month, as reported by The Guardian.
Symptoms of heat-related illnesses include profuse sweating, clammy skin and fatigue for heat exhaustion, and slurred speech, a rapid pulse and body temperature over 103F (39.4C) for heatstroke, according to the National Weather Service, as quoted by The Guardian.
The US is experiencing a deadly wildfire season, with 3.6 million acres of land scorched to date, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, as reported by The Guardian.
46 uncontained fires are burning in several states, including California, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Minnesota, and Idaho, as reported by The Guardian.
Global temperatures are escalating due to the human-caused climate crisis, with the release of heat-trapping gases from burning fossil fuels worsening the regularity and severity of heatwaves, according to The Guardian.
A horse race planned in Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota was canceled on Sunday because of the heat, as reported by The Guardian.
The moist air from the heat dome is also producing the risk of severe thunderstorms, flash flooding and hail around the Great Lakes, according to the National Weather Service, as quoted by The Guardian.
How this outlet told it
The Guardian — World
Framing: Extreme heat warnings and record temperatures — Informative and objective
Facts Included:
Extreme heat warnings in large swaths of the US
Record temperature highs in Billings, Montana, and Salt Lake City, Utah
Heat dome phenomenon causing hot and dry conditions
Symptoms of heat-related illnesses
Deadly wildfire season with 3.6m acres of land scorched
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimExtreme heat warnings are in place for large swaths of the United States.