Tens of millions of people in the US are suffering from extreme heat, and Vegas might shatter the record.

 

On Friday, tourists in Las Vegas took a little break from their visit to take a photo and were immediately irritated with blast furnace air.

However, the majority of people will spend their holidays in casinos, where the cool air conditioning may call for a light jumper.

Emergency department physicians were experiencing a different reality as elderly people passed out from exhaustion, dehydrated construction workers, and other victims of the extreme heat wave that threatened to shatter the city's all-time record high temperature of 117 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend.

Las Vegas, a neon-lit metropolis full of resorts, casinos, swimming pools, indoor nightclubs, and shopping, is one of the few locations in the hot Southwest that best exemplifies the bizarre contrast between indoor and outdoor life.

Across California and the Southwest, tens of millions of more people were looking for methods to stay calm and protected from the risks of high heat.

The National Weather Service stated on Friday that the most extreme phase of the heat wave, which has been developing for a week, has started.

Advisories, watches, and warnings regarding severe heat affected over one-third of the population. This weekend, the sweltering heat wave was expected to worsen in Nevada, Arizona, and California, where portions of the desert were expected to reach temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 90 degrees or lower at night.

Those waiting in line to take pictures in front of the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign were Sergio Cajamarca, his family and their dog, Max. It was already above 100 degrees Fahrenheit before midday.

"I enjoy city life, particularly at night. It's just the heat, said 46-year-old Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, electrician Cajamarca.

Kathy Zhagui, his 20-year-old daughter, shared her advice for finding comfort: "Probably just water, ice cream, and staying inside."

Las Vegas meteorologists issued a warning to the public not to minimise the threat. Due to its extended length, severe daytime temperatures, and warm nights, this heatwave differs from the ordinary heat of the desert.

The National Weather Service in Las Vegas tweeted that "everyone needs to take this heat seriously, including those who live in the desert."

Phoenix touched 116 degrees Fahrenheit by late afternoon on Friday, marking the city's 15th day in a row with temperatures of 110 degrees or above. This puts Phoenix on course to surpass the record for the longest observed period of such heat.

In 1974, 18 days were reported as the record.

David Hondula, the city's top heat officer, said, "This weekend will bring some of the most severe and hot conditions we've ever seen." "I believe this is a time for the greatest level of community vigilance."

As a high-pressure dome advances west from Texas, it was anticipated that the heat would last far into the next week.

In the emergency room at Dignity Health Siena Hospital in suburban Henderson, Dr Ashkan Morim said, "We're getting a lot of heat-related illness right now, a lot of dehydration, heat exhaustion."

This week, according to Morim, he has treated several patients, including tourists who overindulged at swimming pools and became badly dehydrated; a hiker who got lost and needed litres of fluids to restore his strength; and a guy in his 70s who fell and was alone for seven hours in his home until assistance arrived.

Because his air conditioner was running nonstop to counteract the high overnight temperatures, the guy left his house's thermostat set to 80 F out of worry about his power bill.

To track "heat-related" and "heat-caused" fatalities in the Las Vegas area from April to October, regional health officials on Thursday unveiled a new database.

According to the Southern Nevada Health District, 152 deaths last year were judged to be heat-related, and seven individuals have died since April 11.

Along with casinos, other locations from Texas to California planned to be open to the public to provide respite, if only for a portion of the day. These locations included air-conditioned public libraries, police station lobbies, and more.

Splash pads would be available for longer hours, and many public pools in New Mexico's largest city, Albuquerque, were given free entry.

Providing water, sunscreen, and shelter were churches and other charitable organisations in Boise, Idaho.

It was a hot day on picket lines in the Los Angeles region as performers joined screenwriters in a protest against producers despite cooler temperatures closer to the Pacific coast.

The California State Fair opened in Sacramento, but horseracing activities were postponed because of worries about animal welfare.

Employers were warned that outdoor employees needed access to water, shade, and frequent breaks to cool off.

People who own pets were advised to confine them mostly to indoor spaces. "Dogs can practically perish within minutes from heat stroke and are more sensitive to it. David Szymanski, the park director for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, issued a statement asking people to leave them at home where it is cool.

Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, stated during a media conference that the wildfire season was intensifying due to the hot, dry weather and several fires that broke out this week around California.

According to Crowfoot, the effects of global climate change are "supercharging" heat waves.

Firefighters were battling many brush fires that erupted on Friday afternoon in Riverside County, which is southeast of Los Angeles.