Deadly Western Heat Eases After Two Days of Broken Records
- State grid operator asks residents to conserve electicity
- National Weather Service says the heat is ‘life threatening’
A home builder works at sunrise on Monday, June 20, in Gilbert, Arizona, in an effort to beat the rising temperatures.
Photographer: Matt York/AP PhotoThis article is for subscribers only.
Residents of Southern California and the Southwest were looking for a break after some of the hottest weather in decades had utilities warning of power failures and cities opening pools and cooling centers.
At least four hikers died in Arizona, where on Sunday Phoenix set a record of 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 Celsius) for that date, AccuWeather Inc. reported. It was 109 in Burbank, California, on Sunday, besting the mark set in 1973, and temperatures there reached another daily record of 108 at midday Monday, the first official day of summer.