October 12, 2024

Dangerous, record-breaking heat hits the West

WATCH: Heat kills more Americans than other natural disasters, yet deaths are undercounted

Dangerous, record-breaking heat is ongoing in the West, with the temperature in Phoenix reaching the triple digits every day for the last three weeks.

Phoenix climbed over a scorching 110 degrees on 80 days in 2024 -- shattering the record set last year with 55 days of temperatures over 110 degrees.

Eduardo Barraza/ZUMA Press Wire via Newscom
Early morning hikers at Hayden Butte Preserve in Tempe aimed to avoid the heat, as an Excessive Heat Warning from the National Weather Service remains in effect for the Phoenix Metro area, on Oct. 6, 2024.
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The heat spreads across the Southwest and the South this weekend, with temperatures soaring to the 90s in cities including Las Vegas, Austin, Dallas and Little Rock, Arkansas.

There are hundreds of deaths each year in the U.S. due to excessive heat, according to CDC WONDER, an online database, and scientists caution that the actual number of heat-related deaths is likely higher.

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Meanwhile, as Florida cleans up from the devastation left by Hurricane Milton, lingering river flood warnings are ongoing for parts of Florida and Georgia.

Choppy seas are also keeping the rip current risk high for many beaches in Georgia and Florida's east coast.