Phoenix extends record heat run as Washington wildfire surges into Canada
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A view of the Eagle Bluff fire burning across the border in Washington state. Photo: BC Wildfire Service/Facebook
Phoenix endured its 31st straight day of temperatures of at least 110°F Sunday, as a California wildfire spread into Nevada and another blaze threatened border communities in Washington state and Canada.
Driving the news: The UN's World Meteorological Organization notes climate change has "spurred a surge" in extreme weather reports — including Canada's historic wildfires and the dangerous, ongoing record heat wave in the U.S. and other countries.
- Studies show human-caused climate change is a key factor behind increased wildfire risk and scientists say it's also a driving force for the unprecedented July temperatures many Northern Hemisphere countries have seen in what's likely to be Earth's hottest month ever recorded. One study finds this summer's heat would've been "virtually impossible" without it.
State of play: The Eagle Bluff fire that erupted in Washington on Saturday has swelled to about 10,000 acres as of late Sunday and the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office has evacuated nearby homes at risk from the blaze, per Inciweb.
- Canadian officials said the blaze has burned some 2,200 acres in western Canada and was just over two miles from Osoyoos, leading authorities to issue evacuation orders for more than 700 homes in and around the British Columbia town.
- The York fire that ignited Friday in Mojave National Preserve, eastern California, had burned uncontained across some 30,000 acres before spreading to Nevada.
Threat level: Wildfires have burned an unprecedented 31 million acres of land in Canada this season, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
- Over 1,000 wildfires were active across Canada Sunday, including B.C.'s largest-ever blaze, the Donnie Creek fire, which killed a firefighter on Friday — taking the number of firefighters who lost their lives while responding to wildfires this season to three.
- "The fires have forced more than 120,000 people to evacuate their homes and polluted the air for millions of people across North America," per a World Meteorological Organization statement last week on Canada's record wildfire season.
Meanwhile, energy insecurity researchers are sounding the alarm on the prolonged heat wave's impact on low-income residents who can't afford air conditioning as extreme heat warnings were in effect for nearly 77 million people Monday.
- "Nearly 3 million people have their electricity shut off annually because they cannot afford to pay monthly bills," per the Energy Justice Lab at Indiana University.
What we're watching: The National Weather Service said the "dangerous heat wave" will continue along the Gulf Coast into parts of the Southeast, Lower Mississippi Valley, and Southern-Central Plains, as "dry conditions persist over the Pacific Northwest" this week.
- Red flag warnings were in effect for parts of Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho.
- Phoenix's run of consecutive days at or above 110°F that has eclipsed the previous record of 18 days could end Monday with the expected arrival of thunderstorms to bring some temporary relief. Searing heat was expected to return Wednesday.
- Of note: El Paso, Texas’, record streak of 100°F-plus high temperatures ended Sunday after 44 days when the city hit 97°F. The NWS notes this was 21 days longer than the previous record, set in 1994.
More from Axios:
- How wildfire smoke impacts your health
- America's most powerful get a close-up of climate change
- Canada wildfires devour land, vault CO2 emissions higher
- Dangerous fire weather conditions becoming more common across U.S.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
