Intense July Heat Wave Stretches Across US, Phoenix Sees No Rain for 127 Days

No matter where you are in the U.S. this weekend it's likely hot, possibly even record-breaking hot.  As Americans coast-to-coast deal with extreme heat, President 
Biden is enacting new measures to protect communities at risk from dangerously high temperatures. 
 
Biden warned Americans Thursday that the number one weather-related killer is heat, and announced plans to take action to combat the rising temperatures.  
 
"I don't think anybody can deny the impact of climate change anymore," Biden argued.
 
Biden's new measures include an updated heat hazard alert to protect workers from extreme heat, putting $7 million into improving the nation's weather forecasts, and awarding $1 billion in grants to various cities to plant more trees in hopes of repelling heat. 
 
"We are making progress but as you heard today we have a lot more work to do," continued Biden. 
 
The mayor of Phoenix joined President Biden remotely for a press conference as her city is in the midst of a record-breaking heat streak. 
 
"It's taking a real toll on our community, we feel like we are very much on the front lines of climate change," declared Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. 
 
This month Phoenix shattered its previous record of consecutive days with 110 degrees or greater, now at 28 days and counting, and there's not much break in the evening with consecutive days of low temperatures of 90 degrees or more.

Maricopa County's medical examiner's office is preparing for the worst by bringing in a fleet of coolers to handle the expected surge in heat-related deaths.

"This is probably the worst July we've ever had," commented one Phoenix resident.

Gallego wants Congress to give the president authority to declare heat a disaster as Phoenix is on track to become the first major U.S. city to reach an average monthly temperature higher than 100 degrees with no rain in 127 days. 

California's appropriately named Death Valley hit a scorching 133 degrees two weeks ago, one degree shy of the 1913 record for hottest ever recorded temperature on earth occurring in the same location.

In Miami, there's been a record 100+ heat index for 46 days straight.  Even the ocean water surrounding the southern tip of the Sunshine State is hitting triple digits that cause coral bleaching, which experts predict could lead to the death of multiple reefs in the Florida Keys that serve as a barrier for the coastline during intense storms.   

It's not just Americans baking in the heat – the European Union Climate Monitor predicts July is on track to be the planet's warmest month on record – with Earth just experiencing the hottest June since records began in 1850.