More than 30 million Americans in western states were under excessive heat warnings or advisories on Saturday while forecasters warned residents to brace for more record-high temperatures.
The heat wave now hitting the west coast is the third heat wave to hit the region this summer, as noted by The New York Times.
In late June, the Pacific Northwest suffered under a 'heat dome' that led to about 200 deaths in Oregon and Washington. Now, the same atmospheric effect is blanketing California and nearby states in heat through the weekend.
National Weather Service Officials have issued an excessive heat warning for much of the Golden State, which is in place until Monday.
Other southwestern states are also facing extreme heat temperatures - with flights being cancelled after McCarren International Airport in Las Vegas recorded a high temperature of 116F on Friday, Axios reported.
CALIFORNIA: Southern California residents cool off in the Whitewater River on Saturday in Whitewater as dangerously hot conditions are expected to hit the Coachella Valley this weekend with possible highs of 115 to 120 degrees, according to the National Weather Service
CALIFORNIA: Max the dog dries off after a quick bath in the Whitewater River on Saturday
NEVADA: Golden Davis cools off in a mister along the Las Vegas Strip on Friday as Sin City faces record-breaking temperatures
CALIFORNIA: PA person exercises in the morning heat on Saturday in Palm Springs
ARIZONA: U.S. Border Patrol Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Chris Clem, with a thermometer showing 108F in the background, talks during 'Dangers of Crossing in the Yuma Desert' presentation along the U.S.-Mexico border
Sacramento Valley was forecast to see record-breaking 115F temperatures on Saturday and Sunday. Merced, a city in the San Joaquin Valley northwest of Fresno, hit 111F on Saturday which broke the 108F record set in 1961.
Death Valley was forecast to hit 123F on Saturday - hours after recording 130F - the highest temperature experienced on Earth in 90 years.
Southern Inland California has also been predicted to experience 117F weather, with temperatures only forecast to drop slightly on Monday.
The stretch of weather extending through the weekend could bring 'dangerously hot conditions,' the National Weather Service said.
The New York Times reported that cities and towns across the Central Valley in California opened cooling centers and temporary housing on Friday.
California ISO, the state's power regulator, and Nevada public utility NV Energy asked residents to conserve power through the triple-digit heat.
A map shows extreme heat conditions in parts of California, Arizona, Nevada and parts of Utah and New Mexico
Las Vegas hit a high of 117F on Saturday, tying its all-time record
Residents have been asked to drop their water consumption by 15% as Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded a regional drought emergency to include 50 of the state's 58 counties, The New York Times reported.
The Oroville Dam - California's largest water reservoir - is currently experiencing such low water levels that a nearby hydro-electric power station which uses its water may soon
