As officials warned of near-record heat across the Southwest United States, their biggest concern was not necessarily the scorching daytime highs but rather the higher-than-usual nighttime lows, The Los Angeles Times reported.
In Phoenix, forecasters anticipated that even overnight lows would remain upward of 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
"Those overnight minimum temperatures will set records," said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, per the Times. "We don't talk about them as much, but they're hugely consequential from a human health and, in particular, a wildfire perspective."
What's happening?
Extreme heat warnings remained in effect for large swaths of Southern California, even typically cooler coastal areas. Officials issued alerts for Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo, according to the Times.
In a post on X, National Weather Service's Los Angeles office warned of "Moderate to High risk for heat illness, especially for those without cooling systems & populations sensitive to heat."
In addition to Phoenix, Arizona, meteorologists have forecast high nighttime temps for Southern California, as well.
"The entire L.A. Basin, even downtown L.A., [is] not getting below the low 70s," said Swain, the UCLA climate scientist, per the Times.
Why is nighttime heat important?
While record-breaking daytime highs tend to get most of the attention, experts have warned that hot nighttime temperatures also pose an extreme risk to public health and the environment.
"The daily minimum temperature plays a significant role in health because if the overnight temperature does not fall below a certain threshold value, people are unable to cool down and recover from the daytime heat," wrote the authors of a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
"Hot nights could impose an extra burden on the body … suggesting that the daily minimum temperature could be considered a risk factor for heat-induced illness," the authors continued.
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Yes — often 😬 Hot nighttime temperatures also increase the risk of severe wildfires.
"If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorable for extreme fire behavior and rapid fire growth, which could threaten life and property," officials said in a red-flag warning, according to the L.A. Times.
What's being done about extreme heat?
In order to reduce the risk of heat-related illness, the California Department of Public Health has recommended drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids, avoiding strenuous activity during the hottest times of day, and wearing light clothing.
However, in the long run, the only way to reverse the trend of rising global temperatures is to significantly reduce the amount of heat-trapping pollution entering the atmosphere. This will require weaning the world's economy off dirtier, nonrenewable fuels and transitioning to cleaner, renewable sources of energy like wind and solar.
To help push for political action, you can use your voice, contact your elected representatives, and support candidates who share your policy priorities.
To take things even further, you can drive an EV or install solar panels on your home. Using solar to power your home can lower your electricity bill to practically zero while also reducing planet-warming pollution.
Pairing solar panels with a home battery system makes your home more resilient in the event of a power outage and can even allow you to feed power back into the grid during times of peak usage.
EnergySage offers free, powerful tools that make it easy to compare quotes among vetted local installers and to take maximum advantage of tax credits and other available incentives, saving customers up to around $10,000. With federal tax credits for home solar expiring Dec. 31, though, time is running low to take advantage.
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