No Relief Soon As Heat Wave Continues

No Relief Soon As Heat Wave Continues
Near-Record Highs Forecast For Phoenix, Las Vegas

PHOENIX -- The heat wave in the West is showing no signs of letting up.

It may hit 116 degrees Thursday in Las Vegas, which would tie a record for the date set in 1985. The all-time high in the Las Vegas area is 117. That was set in 1942 and tied in 2005.

In Bullhead City, Ariz., it was 122 degrees Wednesday. Phoenix topped out at a toasty 116 degrees, Yuma, 114 degrees. Tucson was the cool spot at 110.

There's triple-digit heat as far north as Idaho.

The dangerous weather is expected to last for at least a few more days.

Health officials are giving all the usual advice: wear light-colored clothes, drink lots of water and stay in the shade. Or better yet, they say, stay inside.

Phoenix is looking at the potential of second straight day of 116-degree temperatures, KPHO-TV reported.

The 116-degree weather in Phoenix on July 4 was the hottest it has been on Independence Day since a 118-degree day in 1989.

An excessive heat warning remains in effect through Thursday night, the National Weather Service office in Phoenix said in a statement.

Phoenix residents also face their first high pollution advisory for the year on Thursday.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality said with poor weather conditions, ozone levels are expected to reach or exceed federal health standards.

It recommended that children and adults with respiratory problems avoid outdoor activities.

Phoenix-area residents are encouraged to car pool or use mass transit to reduce pollution levels, according to air quality officials.

Baking In The North Too

Workers at a digital marketing firm in Idaho Thursday were given a choice -- instead of sitting at their stuffy desks, they could float on inner-tubes down the Boise River.

It's just one way people are trying to escape the sweltering temperatures.

Forecasters in Boise, Idaho, are expecting a high of 107 degrees Friday -- just a bit warmer than Thursday, and 6 degrees higher than the record for the date.

It's even getting into the 90s in Stanley, Idaho -- which, at an elevation of more than 6,000 feet -- is routinely the coldest place in the lower 48 states.

Safety, Conservation Measures Implemented

Officials in Flagstaff canceled the city's annual fireworks show for a second year in a row due to extreme heat and low humidity.

Because of the extremely hot weather, Arizona Public Service asked customers to turn up thermostats at least two degrees, turn off unnecessary lights and office equipment, and shift energy using tasks to avoid peak afternoon hours.

Weather experts warned the tens of thousands of people attending Valley-area celebrations and fireworks to take extreme measures against heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Border Death Examined For Heat-Illness

The U.S. Border Patrol said it is investigating the death of another undocumented immigrant late Tuesday on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation southwest of Sells.

The death is the fourth since Friday, the U.S. Border Patrol said.

Since Oct. 1, the border patrol said 120 immigrants have died trying to cross the southern Arizona desert. Since 2,000, officials said they have discovered more than 1,000 bodies in the desert south of Tucson.

2 Arizona Wildfires Raging

Forestry officials are battling two wildfires in eastern Arizona.

The lightning-sparked Chitty Fire is burning near the New Mexico border in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest south of Alpine.

Fire crews said the fire has already blackened 5,700 acres.

No structures are threatened as 400 firefighters struggle to bring the blaze under control. The fire is 25 percent contained.

Another blaze, the Oakridge-Three fire, has sparked the evacuation of at least 10 families near the town of Ganado in northeastern Arizona.

The fire has charred 400 acres and destroyed two structures, crews said. Other structures threatened include a pipeline, natural gas pumping station, school, and microwave and cell towers.

The fire is 5 percent contained.

Fire restrictions remained in effect for most of Arizona's national forests and many other state and federal recreational areas. The state is battling critically low levels of moisture in live plants, such as leaves and needles that serve as potential fuel in fires.

Record Seen Amidst 110-Degree Heat

If the forecast highs for the weather station at Sky Harbor International Airport of 110 degrees or higher occur at least through Thursday, it would mark 10 such consecutive days, tying the third greatest consecutive number of days with 110 degrees or higher in Phoenix on record, KPHO-TV meteorologists said.

The forecast currently calls for highs continuing above 110 degrees through at least Friday.

Separately, Phoenix sees an average of 10 days of temperatures 110 or higher anytime during the summer season. The record for the most days reaching 110 degrees or higher was 28 days set in 2002, according to Weather Watch 5 meteorologists.

Weather experts have been predicting that Phoenix residents could see the hottest summer ever, with record-setting triple-digit overnight lows and a temperature exceeding the Valley's all-time high of 122 degrees set on June 26, 1990.