Current:Home > reviewsNASA map captures extent of punishing heat in U.S. -WealthRoots Academy
NASA map captures extent of punishing heat in U.S.
View
Date:2025-04-14 21:33:23
The U.S. has contended with unrelenting temperatures this summer, and a map from NASA paints a dire picture of the scale of those persistent heat waves.
The map, which consists of a snapshot of temperatures nationwide for July 10, used satellite images — along with a complex mathematical model known as the Goddard Earth Observing System — to create a kind of color code, with dark red showing areas that reached highs of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the NASA Earth Observatory, a program that examines the impact of climate change.
The results are stark, indicating potentially dangerous temperatures across nearly the entire continental U.S. The Southwest sustained the brunt of the heat, according to the map, with almost the entire region experiencing triple-digit highs.
The day the map was released, Las Vegas set a daily record of 118 degrees, which also marked the fifth straight day of temperatures 115 degrees or higher, a record as well, according to the National Weather Service.
Just three days prior, California's famous Death Valley hit a staggering 129 degrees on July 7, the National Park Service reported, just five degrees off the all-time world record of 134 degrees, which was set in 1913.
And on July 6, a Death Valley motorcyclist died from heat exposure as temperatures hit a high of 128 degrees, according to the National Park Service, and four other motorcyclists from his group were hospitalized. Officials told CBS News in a statement that it was too hot for park rangers to even call a helicopter to airlift them out.
The rest of the U.S. did not seem to fare much better. Oregon officials reported five possible heat-related deaths statewide on July 10, according to CBS affiliate KOIN, and at least 17 dating back to July 5.
And after tearing through the Caribbean, causing major damage and destruction, Hurricane Beryl made landfall in southeast Texas on July 8, knocking out power to more than three million customers in the Houston area. Millions remained without power for several days amid searing temperatures that saw the heat index — which measures what the temperature feels like to the human body, taking into account humidity — above 100 degrees.
The heat, meanwhile, shows no sign of abating this week, especially in the Northeast. Tuesday was expected to be one of the hottest days of the year so far for New York City, with a heat index also above 100. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday advised low-income residents to apply for a free air conditioner through the federal Home Energy Assistance Program.
Boston was also experiencing several days of highs in the low to mid-90s, and according to CBS Boston meteorologist Terry Eliasen, the city was on pace for one of the hottest and most humid Julys on record.
Washington, D.C., hit 104 degrees Tuesday, per the weather service. According to CBS affiliate WUSA, that tied a daily record set in 1988. It also marked the third straight day of triple-digit temperatures for the nation's capital.
According to the latest National Weather Service forecast, excessive heat watches and warnings were in place Tuesday for portions of the Pacific Northwest, the Southern Plains, the Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley, the Ohio and Tennessee valleys and the Central Gulf Coast.
"Extremely dangerous and potentially deadly heat, particularly for urban areas in the Southeast and East Coast, are forecast" through Wednesday, the weather service said.
- In:
- Heat
- Death Valley National Park
- Heat Wave
Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.
veryGood! (28162)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Blinken arrives in Beijing amid major diplomatic tensions with China
- Vehicle-to-Grid Charging for Electric Cars Gets Lift from Major U.S. Utility
- Jennifer Lopez’s Contour Trick Is Perfect for Makeup Newbies
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Facing floods: What the world can learn from Bangladesh's climate solutions
- Country Singer Jimmie Allen Apologizes to Estranged Wife Alexis for Affair
- Lori Vallow Case: Idaho Mom Indicted on New Murder Conspiracy Charge
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Trump’s Move to Suspend Enforcement of Environmental Laws is a Lifeline to the Oil Industry
Ranking
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Calpak's Major Memorial Day Sale Is Here: Get 55% Off Suitcase Bundles, Carry-Ons & More
- This Week in Clean Economy: GOP Seizes on Solyndra as an Election Issue
- Jimmy Buffett Hospitalized for Issues That Needed Immediate Attention
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Justin Timberlake Declares He's Now Going By Jessica Biel's Boyfriend After Hilarious TikTok Comment
- Scientists Track a Banned Climate Pollutant’s Mysterious Rise to East China
- Empty Grocery Shelves and Rotting, Wasted Vegetables: Two Sides of a Supply Chain Problem
Recommendation
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
Billions of people lack access to clean drinking water, U.N. report finds
Infection toll for recalled eyedrops climbs to 81, including 4 deaths, CDC says
Bob Huggins resigns as West Virginia men's basketball coach after DUI arrest in Pittsburgh
Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
This Week in Clean Economy: GOP Seizes on Solyndra as an Election Issue
Solar Industry to Make Pleas to Save Key Federal Subsidy as It Slips Away
With Tax Credit in Doubt, Wind Industry Ponders if It Can Stand on Its Own