Extreme October heat wave ongoing for the West: Latest forecast

By this weekend, the record heat will spread into Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

ByEmily Shapiro and Max Golembo
October 3, 2024, 11:36 AM

An unprecedented October heat wave has enveloped the West, with record-setting temperatures from California to Colorado.

On Wednesday, temperatures soared to 108 degrees in Phoenix; 101 degrees in Las Vegas; 100 in Napa, California; and 89 in Denver. Cheyenne, Wyoming, hit 85 degrees -- its all-time hottest October temperature.

Fog and smog make for muggy weather over the Los Angeles basin, with downtown in the background, as seen from Griffith Observatory, Oct. 1, 2024, in Los Angeles.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
Residents lounge near the water on Alameda Beach in Alameda, California Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 during an exceptional heat wave across the Bay Area and inland.
Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

More record highs are in the forecast for Thursday.

Temperatures could climb to 99 degrees in Sacramento and San Jose, California; 112 degrees in Palm Springs, California; and 103 in Las Vegas.

A person beats the heat by sitting in a shaded bus stop along Azusa Ave, Oct. 2, 2024, in Covina, Calif.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Heat alerts are ongoing for a huge part of California, including the Bay Area and Los Angeles County. An excessive heat warning is continuing in Phoenix.

By this weekend, the record heat will spread into Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

PHOTO: More Heat This Weekend - Next Several Days Map
ABC News

The West will also be under a very high fire threat into the weekend. Fire alerts have been issued from California to Montana.

Click here for tips on how to stay safe in the heat.

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