First death from record ‘heat dome’ confirmed as it spreads across US | American News

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Nearly a quarter of the US population faces heat advisories as a heat dome sits over the nation's southwestern states

Nearly a quarter of the US population is on heat advisories as a heat dome sits over the country’s southwestern states (Pictures: Getty)

Texas officials have confirmed the first death following the ongoing “heat dome” which is bringing triple-digit temperatures to many parts of the United States.

Nearly a quarter of the population of the United States is subject to extreme heat advisories after the heat dome took hold over the American Southwest.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), heat domes occur in the United States when high pressure atmospheric conditions combine with warm sea surface temperatures caused by La Niña.

Heat domes typically cause extreme temperatures on the west coast and then expand as winds move warm air east and north across the country.


TOPSHOT - A heat warning sign is displayed at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center during a heat wave in Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California July 16, 2023. Tens of millions of Americans braced for more sweltering temperatures on Sunday as brutal conditions threatened to break records due to a relentless heat dome that baked parts of the country all week. By the afternoon of July 15, 2023, California's famed Death Valley, one of the hottest places on earth, had reached a sizzling 124 F (51 C), with Sunday's peak expected to reach 129F (54C). Even overnight lows could exceed 100 F (38 C). (Photo by Ronda Churchill/AFP) (Photo by RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images)
A heat advisory in Death Valley, California warns visitors against walking outside after 10:00 a.m. (Photo: RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images)

The current heat dome enveloping the Southwest is expected to extend into North Carolina this week.

The forecasters at Weather Channel predicts temperatures in some major cities will rise more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, including Miami, New Orleans and Atlanta.

Little Rock, Arkansas is expected to see temperatures as high as 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Over the weekend, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico were hardest hit by the brutal heat wave.

Heat map of the United States 07.17.23 (Photo: Meteored)

A heat map shows warm air traveling east and north from the American Southwest. (Photo: Meteor)

In Texas, authorities have confirmed the first death linked to the ongoing heat wave.

Victor Ramos, a 67-year-old Houston resident, was killed on June 24. On Friday, a medical examiner determined the man died of accidental hyperthermia.

Family members said the air conditioning in Ramos’ home was broken and he could not afford to fix it.

“He had told me during the day that he wasn’t feeling too well, he was a bit tired,” Ramos’ sister Karla told local station KHOU. “I went to see him at nine in the morning and found him unconscious.”

Victor Ramos has been confirmed to have died of hyperthermia at his home in Houston, Texas.

Victor Ramos has been confirmed to have died of hyperthermia at his home in Houston, Texas (Picture: Facebook)

Temperatures in Houston reached around 95 degrees Fahrenheit on June 24, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Many cities in the southwest saw temperatures reach or approach their highest on record.

Las Vegas, Nevada, came within a degree of breaking its record high temperature when it hit 116 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday.

Reno, Nevada reached its highest temperature on record, when it reached 108 degrees Fahrenheit.


TOPSHOT - Clint Johnson, of Pleasant Hill, Calif., (L) and Melanie Anguay, of Las Vegas, stand for a photo next to a digital display of an unofficial heat reading at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center during a heat wave at Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California, July 16, 2023. Tens of millions of Americans braced for more sweltering temperatures on Sunday as brutal conditions threatened to break records due to a relentless dome of heat that has baked parts of the country all week. By the afternoon of July 15, 2023, California's famed Death Valley, one of the hottest places on earth, had reached a sizzling 124 F (51 C), with Sunday's peak expected to reach 129F (54C). Even overnight lows could exceed 100 F (38 C). (Photo by Ronda Churchill/AFP) (Photo by RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images)
Visitors pose next to a thermometer in Death Valley (Photo: Ronda Churchill / AFP)

Death Valley, already considered one of the hottest places on earth, has also moved closer to breaking its record temperature on Sunday after thermometers hit 128 degrees Fahrenheit.

The highest recorded temperature in the Mojave Desert Valley was 134 degrees Fahrenheit.

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