Millions of residents of Canada and the US states along the West Coast experienced another extreme temperature last weekend. Measures are being taken in several places, such as closing roads and announcing evacuation orders.
Last month, the North American west coast was also hit by a series of heat records.
Much of the region is weighed down by the heat, which is now also moving far inland. High temperatures spread to the west of the Rocky Mountains this past weekend.
Canada continues to be plagued by wildfires. Fifty more fires broke out in the past two days. In total, there are now nearly 300 active wildfires in the province of British Columbia. The government has announced new emergency measures to prevent the fire from spreading further, such as partially shutting down train traffic. Trains regularly cause forest fires because sparks can occur during braking.
Death Valley in California, often the hottest place in the United States, recorded 54 degrees on Sunday. If verified, this temperature will be one of the highest temperatures ever seen on Earth. A record temperature of 47 degrees Celsius was equalled on Saturday in Las Vegas in the US state of Nevada. This temperature has only been measured in the city four times before. On Sunday, the temperature was only a few degrees lower.
At the end of June, the west coast of the US and Canada were also hit by extreme temperatures. It was the warmest June on record for North America, with heatwaves and heat records. In British Columbia, the heat record was broken on three consecutive days.