Hottest large city in US broke previous heat record from 1993 as temperatures are expected to reach 110 tomorrow

Phoenix, Arizona, saw its 100th straight day of 100F (37.7C) heat this week.

The hottest large city in the United States broke its previous record of 76 consecutive 100F days set in 1993. The relentless streak, which started on 27 May and hit its 100th day on Tuesday, is forecast to persist into next week. An excessive heat warning is in effect through Friday, with temperatures expected to reach 110F (43C) tomorrow.

This summer was the hottest one in Phoenix since 1896, when records first began. Latest county data shows that at least 177 people died from heat-related causes so far this year, with 436 under investigation. Last year, Maricopa county saw 645 confirmed heat-related fatalities, enduring 55 days in a row with above 110F temperatures.

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    • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
      272·
      2 months ago

      man’s hubris

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_thermoregulation

      In general, humans appear physiologically well adapted to hot dry conditions.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspiration

      Although sweating is found in a wide variety of mammals,[6][7] relatively few (apart from humans, horses, some primates and some bovidae) produce sweat in order to cool down.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting

      Persistence hunting, also known as endurance hunting or long-distance hunting, is a variant of pursuit predation in which a predator will bring down a prey item via indirect means, such as exhaustion, heat illness or injury.[1][2] Hunters of this type will typically display adaptions for distance running, such as longer legs,[3] temperature regulation,[4] and specialized cardiovascular systems.[5]

      Humans are some of the best long distance runners in the animal kingdom;[6] some hunter gatherer tribes practice this form of hunting into the modern era.

      https://darthvalley.com/

      The Darth Valley Challenge

      A one-mile sprint…

      At the hottest time of the day…

      On the hottest day of the year…

      In the hottest place on Earth…

      Dressed as Darth Vader.

      That’s being done by humans for amusement. It’d kill most animals. Not saying that it’s comfortable, but we can deal pretty well with an awful lot of heat if we have to.

      If you want to talk the talk, you gotta walk the walk. But if you can do the walk, hey…might as well strut it.

    • stonerboner@lemmynsfw.com
      171·
      2 months ago

      I’ll never understand how settlers moving out west to the beauty and resources of the coast, got to a blank desert and decided to ”This is the spot!”

      No lumber, fucking hot, and natural water is scarce. WTF

      • Upsidedownturtle@lemmy.world
        161·
        2 months ago

        It was primarily settled as a farming community at the confluence of two rivers to support nearby gold mines. Prior to that native Americans had a fair amount of canal works to provide irrigation to agriculture in the region. At the time it would have been seen as good fertile land, free from rocks and boulders that was beyond the frost line prime for agriculture if they brought fresh water from the nearby rivers.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
          91·
          2 months ago

          Might also be worth noting that Arizona had a population of around 6k American settlers in 1860. About 160 years later, we’re trying to cram in over 7M at a growth rate of around 20-30% per decade.

          It’s a big state, and its not all desert. But we may have passed the tipping point on sustainability about 6M people ago.