The risk of heat-related illness will remain high throughout the weekend in the South amid sweltering heat that could break some records.
The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said in a post on Saturday that excessive heat warnings and advisories are in effect throughout much of California, the Desert Southwest and the Deep South.
The post said several cities across the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast are expected to break their records for daily warmest nighttime lows over the weekend, and the heat wave is bringing the risk of illness with it.
The center said afternoon temperatures in the interior valleys of California could surpass 100 degrees Fahrenheit and approach 110 degrees at the hottest spots on Saturday, while the Desert Southwest will have temperatures past 110.
Intense heat has spread across the country, especially in the South, as summer has gotten underway. Texas has had heat waves for three straight weeks, and at least 13 deaths related to the heat have been reported in the state.
At least one more has been reported in Louisiana.
Experts said these types of heat waves will become more common in the future and cause additional deaths.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the region of the country made up by Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico have more than 1,000 emergency department visits associated with heat-related illnesses per 100,000 visits overall on Saturday.
The top temperature in many of the counties in those states is higher than 100 degrees. The rate was above 800 for the week of June 18 to 24, leading into the start of summer.
The rate for the region of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa is higher than 500 per 100,000 visits, and the rate for Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Kentucky is higher than 400 per 100,000 visits.
Mexico has said it has experienced at least 112 heat-related deaths so far this year, including a large increase in the past two weeks.