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A historic heat wave is hitting the western region of the United States, increasing temperatures to an estimated 25-to-40 degrees above the average, ABC News reports.
Several cities in the West recorded all-time record March temperatures on Wednesday (March 18) which includes Palm Springs, California, at 105 degrees; Phoenix, Arizona, at 102 degrees; and Las Vegas, Nevada, at 94 degrees. An estimated 40 million Americans in the West are facing heat alerts this weekend.
Temperatures are expected to range between 96 and 109 degrees in a widespread area during the coming days, which includes a period of high tourism in the Desert Southwest, and could become deadly as heat will extend through the next week. Record highs are expected to potentially reach Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, on Friday (March 27) and daily record highs may span from Los Angeles, California, to Memphis, Tennessee, by Sunday (March 29).
Heat and dry weather could also lead to a risk of wildfires as red flag warnings are already in place for parts of Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska, with wind gusts estimated to be between 30 MPH and 45 MPH. The Fifth National Climate Assessment has deemed extreme heat to be the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S., with an estimated 2,000 Americans killed each year on average, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via ABC News.