Axios

An intense, sprawling heat dome is causing the most intense, long-lasting heat wave of the summer in parts of the West.

The big picture: This heat wave will be a record-breaking event lasting into next week in California and surrounding states. It brings with it serious public health dangers, electric grid challenges and wildfire risks, officials warn.

California's lawmakers voted overnight to extend the life of Diablo Canyon, the state's last operating nuclear power plant.

Why it matters: Policymakers in multiple countries are re-thinking nuclear phaseouts as they grapple with climate change and strained power grids.

Ocean heat content, global sea levels and greenhouse gas concentrations all reached record highs in 2021, according to the State of the Climate report published Wednesday.

The big picture: The annual report showcases compelling scientific evidence that climate change has global impacts and shows no sign of slowing, said Rick Spinrad of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which led the study.

California's grid operator issued a statewide "flex alert" for Wednesday and Thursday as an intense heat wave increased electrical demand and threatened available power supplies.

Driving the news: Residents are asked to voluntary conserve energy from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on both days while the excessive heat increases air condition use, per the California Independent System Operator, which runs most of the state’s electric grid.

President Biden spoke with the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, on Wednesday as the city entered its third day grappling with a water emergency.

Driving the news: Biden called Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba "to hear firsthand from the mayor about the urgent situation with access to clean and safe water," a White House aide told the Hill.

U.S. solar equipment manufacturing is about to grow, but there are miles to go before reaching the White House goal of becoming a global heavyweight.

Driving the news: First Solar said Tuesday it is planning to invest up to $1 billion in a new panel factory in the southeast.

Large parts of Pakistan's Sindh and Balochistan provinces are inundated by floodwaters, with normally dry land transformed into lakes when viewed from space. More than 1,000 people are dead, and 33 million affected after about eight weeks of heavy monsoonal rains.

The big picture: The scale and severity of this event are staggering, with the area and population affected exceeding the severity of disastrous flooding seen in 2010, which cost about $10 billion.

A prolonged and intense heat wave has begun to swelter much of the Southwest this week — and by early next week, dozens of records are likely to have been set.

What to expect: The heat wave is forecast to culminate with a dangerously hot Labor Day weekend across much of California, Nevada, Oregon and surrounding states in the West.