Morgan Stessman said the heatwave over the western United States pushed Las Vegas to 46 degrees Celsius on Saturday, one degree below its daily record. The weather service scientist said the city would stay in dangerous heat through Sunday.
The high was the year’s hottest in Las Vegas and came with nighttime lows between 26 and 32 degrees Celsius. Stessman said in Spanish, "Simplemente no hay alivio durante la noche," a warning that recovery between hot days would be limited.
Las Vegas, Phoenix and El Centro
Authorities warned people to stay indoors as the heat spread from Arizona to Montana under a high-pressure system that trapped heat near the ground. Phoenix was expected to reach 47 degrees Celsius, and El Centro, California, was expected to reach 48 degrees Celsius, which would be a record.
Las Vegas was forecast to hit 45.5 degrees Celsius on Sunday, still 10 degrees above normal. The city’s hottest temperature on record remains 49 degrees Celsius in July 2024.
Montana heat and wildfire risk
Great Falls was expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius, above its previous record of 38 degrees Celsius, while Helena was expected to tie or pass its record of 39 degrees Celsius. Eastern Montana was under an extreme heat warning, and Jeff Kitsmiller said most of Montana was expected to cool to around 21 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
The heat also raised wildfire risk in dry areas and places with active fires. Billings had already reached 44 degrees Celsius on 12 de julio de 2026 during a mid-July heat wave, a reminder that this one was dangerous but short-lived.
Justa Center in Phoenix
Daniel Aragonez was photographed leaving a cooling center in Los Ángeles on Friday, July 31, 2026. At The Justa Center in Phoenix, Rudy Soliz said, "Cualquiera puede venir, recibir una comida, inscribirse, registrarse a través del centro de enfriamiento, sentarse, relajarse, ver un poco de televisión, ya sabes, recuperarse antes de acudir a otro centro de enfriamiento o ir a su destino."
The center serves older people and opens to the public in the afternoon, with about 200 people visiting each day. For people in the hottest cities, the practical step was simple: use cooling centers, stay indoors during the peak heat, and wait for temperatures to ease by Sunday in parts of Montana.
