By Jonah Engel Bromwich
A spike in temperature across the Southwest has left many in Arizona gasping for breath.
An excessive heat warning from the state’s Department of Health Services remained in effect for over a dozen counties on Sunday, with temperatures of up to 120 degrees expected to last through Monday in La Paz, Maricopa and Mohave Counties.
According to the state, excessive natural heat killed close to 1,300 people from 2005 to 2015. In 2016, 130 people died of heat-related causes in Maricopa, the southern county that contains Phoenix and is home to more than four million people.
The high temperatures have contributed to other extreme weather events, like wildfires. On Friday, Gov. Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency and requested that additional resources be directed to those fighting the fires. According to a statement from the governor’s office, the state has experienced more than a dozen large wildfires since April, which have been “aided by high temperatures, winds and available fuels.”
