Scorching heat blistered the Southwest on Saturday, where highs between 115 (46C) and 120 (48C) degrees were recorded for parts of Arizona, Nevada and California.Forecasters said temperatures in sunbaked Las Vegas shot up to 115 (46C) degrees on Saturday afternoon, two degrees short of the city’s all-time record.Phoenix hit 119 (48C) degrees by mid-afternoon, breaking the record for June 29 that was set in 1994.
And large swaths of California sweltered under extreme heat warnings, which are expected to last into Tuesday night – and maybe even longer.The forecast for Death Valley called for 128 (53C) degrees Saturday, but it was 3 degrees shy of that, according to unofficial reports from the National Weather Service. Death Valley’s record high of 134 (56C) degrees, set a century ago, stands as the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.
Alaska heat VIDEO: http://videos.huffingtonpost.com/unusual-heat-wave-bakes-alaska
A couple hours south in Baker, the temperature peaked at an unofficial 117 degrees in the road tripper’s oasis in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 15. The strip of gas stations and restaurants between Los Angeles and Las Vegas is known by travelers for the giant thermometer that often notes temperatures in the triple digits.At the Mad Greek restaurant there, a waitress called out orders for “Chocolate shake! Strawberry shake!” while the temperature hovered at 112 degrees during the lunch rush.In Southern California, Riverside saw 105 degrees, and Palm Springs reached 122 degrees.
At Lancaster Fox Field in Los Angeles County, temperatures reached 111, a record.To make matters worse, National Weather Service meteorologists John Dumas said cooling ocean breezes haven’t been traveling far enough inland overnight to fan Southern California’s overheated valleys and deserts.
Burbank set a record overnight low with temperatures dipping to 74 degrees overnight, much warmer than the previous record of 68 degrees for Saturday’s early hours.In Northern California, temperatures Saturday reached the upper 90s in San Jose.
Farther north, triple-digit temps were reached in downtown Sacramento on Saturday, according to the weather service.Authorities say a man died and another was hospitalized in serious condition Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas.
As Earth passes through a new coronal hole high speed stream, backed by unidentified CME shock, a prolonged interval of south-pointing magnetism (southward Bz) is having a strong impact on Earth’s geomagnetic field. On June 29, 2013 Planetary K-index reached Kp=7 and NOAA/SWPC issued G3 (Strong) Geomagnetic Storm Level Alert.Space Weather Message Code: ALTK07Serial Number: 87Issue Time: 2013 Jun 29 0602 UTCALERT: Geomagnetic K-index of 7Threshold Reached: 2013 Jun 29 0559 UTC Synoptic Period: 0300-0600 UTCAt this level voltage corrections may be required, false alarms could be triggered on some protection devices.
Surface charging may occur on satellite components while drag may increase on low-Earth-orbit satellites, and corrections may be needed for orientation problems. At G3 level intermittent satellite navigation and low-frequency radio navigation problems may occur, HF radio may be intermittent, and aurora has been seen as low as Illinois and Oregon, US.Aurora forecast OVATION Prime model for June 29, 2013 (Credit: OVATION/NOAA/SWPC)
CURRENT ACTIVITY (06:30 UTC, June 29, 2013)
Planetary K-indexNow: Kp= 7 strong24-hr max: Kp= 7 strongInterplanetary Mag. FieldBtotal: 11.6 nTBz: 11.4 nT southThe Radio Sun10.7 cm flux: 100 sfuWatch the space weather conditions in real-time via Space Weather Station!
Solar activity has been at low levels in the past 24 hours, featuring three C flares, from AR 1777 and 1778. The brightest flare was a C7.3 flare released by AR 1778 with peak time at 03:37 UTC on June 28, 2013. AR 1777 released two CMEs (observed by LASCO C2 at 20:37 UTC on June 27 and 02:00 UTC on June 28). The first CME is not expected to be geo-effective, while there is a slight chance for a glancing blow from the second CME on July 1, 2013.
Source and read more at: The Watchers, Huffington Post
TBU NEWS
