2007 Western North American heat wave

The 2007 western North American heat wave
Heat wave
A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity. There is no universal definition of a heat wave; the term is relative to the usual weather in the area...

was a record-breaking event that began in late June 2007. The heat stretched from Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

to Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

, Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

and into northwestern Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. The record heat has exacerbated already present record-breaking drought

Drought

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...

conditions in much of the Western U. S., allowing fires to grow to record-breaking sizes.

The combination of conditions forced major freeway

Interstate Highway System

The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...

closures, animal and human deaths, evacuation

Emergency evacuation

Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...

s, and destruction of property.

Much of eastern North America experienced more average conditions through July 2007, with little in the way of prolonged heat waves. However, drought remained a problem in some areas of the east, particularly parts of the southeast.

Record highs

Reno, Nevada

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

, reached 108 °F (42 °C) on July 5 easily breaking the previous record of 100 °F (38 °C).

At 116 °F (47 °C), Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, was one degree shy of its all-time record set in 2005 and 1942.

St. George, Utah

St. George, Utah

St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...

, reached 118 °F (48 °C) on July 5, according to the local weather station as mentioned in the front page of the July 6 edition of The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....

, which would be the highest temperature ever-recorded in Utah.

Eastern Oregon

Eastern Oregon

Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...

set 15 different record highs on July 5.

There were 11 days of triple digit temperatures in Missoula, Montana

Missoula, Montana

Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...

., almost double the previous record of 6 days for the month of July.

Temperatures

Many major cities experienced prolonged intense and unusual heat in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, and Mexico

Mexico

. It was the hottest July on record for the entire states of Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

, and Wyoming

Wyoming

Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...

, and second hottest for Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

City	Highest temperature recorded or forecast	Date achieved or projected	Normal temperature	Deviation from normal
Edmonton, Alberta	90 °F (32 °C)	July 5	73 °F (23 °C)	+17 °F (+9 °C)
Lethbridge, Alberta	100 °F (37.8 °C)http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/climateData/dailydata_e.html?Prov=XX&timeframe=2&StationID=31447&Day=1&Month=7&Year=2007&cmdB1=Go	July 23	77 °F (25 °C)	+23 °F (+ 13 °C)
Medicine Hat, Alberta Medicine Hat, Alberta Medicine Hat, known to locals as "The Hat", is a city of 61,097 people located in the southeastern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is enclaved within Cypress County along with the nearby Town of Redcliff, although neither is part of the county....	100 °F (37.9 °C) http://www.theweathernetwork.com/index.php?product=historical&placecode=caab0211	July 6	81 °F (27 °C)	+ 19 °F (+ 11 °C)
Regina, Saskatchewan Regina, Saskatchewan Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...	99 °F (37.2 °C) http://www.theweathernetwork.com/index.php?product=historical&placecode=cask0261	July 6	77 °F (25 °C)	+ 22 °F (+12 °C)
Val Marie, Saskatchewan Val Marie, Saskatchewan -History:The first European investigation of the area was conducted by the Palliser Expedition , supported by the Royal Geographical Society and the British Government, and led by John Palliser, a wealthy Irish landowner. He was accompanied by geologist James Hector, and various cartographers and...	105 °F (41 °C)	July 23	82 °F (28 °C)	+23 °F (+12 °C)
Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford is a Canadian city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver. It is the fifth largest municipality in British Columbia, home to 123,864 people . Its Census Metropolitan Area, which includes the District of Mission, is the 23rd largest in Canada,...	95 °F (35 °C)	July 10	76 °F (24 °C)	+ 19 °F (+11 °C)
Seattle, Washington	94 °F (34 °C)	July 11	76 °F (24 °C)	+18 °F (+10 °C)
Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...	102 °F (39 °C)	July 10	79 °F (26 °C)	+23 °F (+13 °C)
Sacramento, California Sacramento, California Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...	107 °F (42 °C)	July 5	94 °F (34 °C)	+13 °F (+8 °C)
Boise, Idaho Boise, Idaho Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...	106 °F (41 °C)	July 6	90 °F (32 °C)	+16 °F (+9 °C)
Missoula, Montana Missoula, Montana Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...	107 °F (42 °C)	July 6	83 °F (28 °C)	+24 °F (+13 °C)
Jackson, Wyoming Jackson, Wyoming Jackson is a town located in the Jackson Hole valley of Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,647 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Teton County....	91 °F (33 °C)	July 6	79 °F (26 °C)	+12 °F (+7 °C)
Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...	102 °F (39 °C)	July 6	89 °F (32 °C)	+13 °F (+7 °C)
Denver, Colorado Denver, Colorado The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...	97 °F (36 °C)	June 25	87 °F (31 °C)	+10 °F (+8 °C)
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...	116 °F (47 °C)	July 5	105 °F (41 °C)	+11 °F (+6 °C)
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...	115 °F (46 °C)	July 4	104 °F (40 °C)	+11 °F (+6 °C)
Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...	96 °F (36 °C)	July 1	83 °F (28 °C)	+13 °F (+8 °C)
Death Valley, California	127 °F (53 °C)	July 6	115 °F (46 °C)	+12 °F (+7 °C)

Heat related deaths

Six suspected illegal immigrants died in the deserts of Arizona as a result of the heat.

In Orofino, Idaho

Orofino, Idaho

Orofino is a city in Clearwater County, Idaho, along Orofino Creek and the north bank of the Clearwater River. The population was 3,247 at the 2000 census, and the city is the county seat of Clearwater County...

, a one-year-old boy was found dead locked in a car.

Cities in California opened cooling centers as power companies declared a stage 1 emergency.

Wildfires, deaths, and freeway closures

Firefighters blamed the heat and existing record-breaking drought for dozens of wildfires in the West.

The area was in the midst of an unusual drought; in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, with only 3.21 in (82 mm) of precipitation in the entire 2006-2007 rain season, it was, at that time, the driest year on record, receiving less rain than Death Valley in a normal year.

Wildfires, such as the destructive Angora Fire

Angora Fire

The Angora Fire was a wind driven fire that started near North Upper Truckee Road subdivision near Angora Lakes, Fallen Leaf Lake, Echo Lake and South Lake Tahoe, California around 2:15 PM on Sunday, June 24, 2007 as a result of an illegal campfire. As of July 2, 2007, the fire was 100%...

, killed dozens, forced the closure of major freeways, and destroyed homes.

In central Utah

Utah

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

, the largest wildfire in state history consumed 283000 acres (1,145.3 km²) or 468 square miles (114,526 hectares) and forced the closure of I-15 and I-70.

In northeastern Utah

Utah

a wildfire moving at the speed of 30 mph (50 km/h) killed three men on a farm.

Portions of suburban Salt Lake City in Herriman

Herriman, Utah

Herriman is a city in southwestern Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. The population was 21,785 as of the 2010 census. Although Herriman was a town in 2000, it has since been classified as a fifth-class city by state law. The city has experienced rapid growth since incorporation in 1999, as its...

were forced to evacuate as fires threatened their homes.

I-80 was closed in northern Nevada

Nevada

as fires burned a combined total of 55 square miles (144 square kilometres) and forced evacuations near Winnemucca

Winnemucca

-Places:*Winnemucca, Nevada*Winnemucca Indian Colony, a reservation in Nevada*Winnemucca Lake, a dry lake bed in Nevada-Tribes:*Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada, a federally recognized Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone tribe-People:...

Damage to wildlife and lifestock