Blistering heat and dangerous fire weather are threatening much of the West and the Great Plains — particularly in California, Idaho, Montana and Oregon, where thousands of firefighters are battling several massive wildfires.
Threat level: The long duration of record-setting temperatures is affecting a broad region facing unprecedented drought. This, plus weather systems that are encouraging the air to rise to set off thunderstorms, is leading to perilous wildfire risk situations across multiple states.
Small and simple, kind gestures have immense, underestimated power.
Why it matters: When it comes to doing nice things for others, a little goes a long way. That should encourage all of us to put in that bit of extra effort to make someone smile.
🖼️ The big picture: Researchers demonstrated the power of small acts of kindness in a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Researchers may have just found evidence of the world's oldest amputation, dating back to the Stone Age, in a cave in Indonesia, according to a new study.
The big picture: The discovery means humans may have been practicing amputation earlier than previously thought without medical tools and medications that are deemed necessary today.
Why it matters: Heat waves are becoming more intense, more frequent and longer lasting due to human-caused climate change, and such events are stressing our energy infrastructure in new ways.
A historic heat wave is affecting the West, breaking all-time, monthly and daily records and putting the California electricity grid to test. The heat is relentless, potentially peaking Tuesday but sticking around straight through the upcoming weekend.
The big picture: The immediate cause of the heat wave is an unusually strong area of high pressure, or heat dome, that is parked over the western U.S., causing air to sink and dry out, stifling any widespread rainfall.
California ISO, the state's grid operator, declared a stage 3 energy alert Tuesday, urging residents to reduce energy use and warning that rotating power outages were "very possible" as record heat wave pummels the western U.S.
The latest: The alert ended at 8pm local time "with no load sheds for the night," the ISO tweeted. It added: "Consumer conservation played a big part in protecting electric grid reliability. Thank you, California!"
