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The first heat wave of the season has arrived earlier than usual across much of the U.S. Southwest, with dangerously hot conditions<\/a> that produced triple-digit temperatures on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Forecasters say temperatures are likely to top 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) in some areas by Thursday.<\/p>\n By Wednesday afternoon, much of an area stretching from southeast California to central Arizona will see \u201ceasily their hottest\u201d weather\u00a0since last September<\/a>, and record daily highs will be in jeopardy from Las Vegas to Phoenix, the National Weather Service said.<\/p>\n Excessive\u00a0heat warnings were issued<\/a>\u00a0for Wednesday morning through Friday evening for parts of southeast California, southern Nevada and Arizona.<\/p>\n \u201cTemperatures well above average for the time of year \u2014 some spots as much as 10 to 20 degrees above average,\u201d said Marc Chenard, a weather service meteorologist in College Park, Maryland. He said unseasonably hot weather was expected to spread northward and make its way into parts of the Pacific Northwest by the end of the week.<\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s highs reached 106 F (41.1 C) in Bullhead City, Arizona, 104 F (40 C) in Phoenix and 103 F (39.4 C) in Las Vegas. Highs in California included 112 F (44..4) at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, 108 F (42.2 C) in Needles and 104 F (40 C) in Palm Springs<\/p>\n In Las Vegas, the mercury was forecast to hit at least 108 F (42.2 C) on Wednesday and could then go even higher, according to the weather service.<\/p>\n \u201cA new record high looks almost certain for Las Vegas on Thursday with an 80% chance of reaching 112 degrees (44.4 C). This would tie the earliest date for reaching 110 degrees (43.3 C) which previously occurred June 6, 2010,\u201d the weather service said Tuesday.<\/p>\n Forecast highs for Thursday included 120 F (48.8 C) at Furnace Creek in Death Valley and 113 F (45 C) in Phoenix, the latter of which would break a record high for the date of 111 F (43.8 C), set in 2016.<\/p>\n The heat prompted the U.S. Border Patrol to issue a warning on Monday after it confirmed that four migrants died last weekend from heat-related causes while attempting to cross into the country in southeast New Mexico, near El Paso, Texas.<\/p>\n Anthony Good, the agency\u2019s El Paso sector chief, urged migrants not to risk the extreme heat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe desert environment is extremely unforgiving, especially during the summer months,\u201d Good said. \u201cWe urge anyone considering crossing illegally to understand the severe risks involved.\u201d<\/p>\n Fire crews were on high alert especially in Arizona, where fire restrictions went into effect before Memorial Day in some areas and will be ordered by Thursday across much of the western and south-central parts of the state, authorities said.<\/p>\n Fire forecasters at the Southwest Coordination Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said typically it does not get this hot until mid- or late June.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does seem like Mother Nature is turning up the heat on us a little sooner than usual,\u201d said Tiffany<\/a> Davila, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t back down from a fire just because it\u2019s pushing 113 degrees outside. But we do keep a close eye on everybody in the field. Make sure they are keeping hydrated and taking more breaks than they normally would,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Last summer, Phoenix\u00a0saw a record 31 straight days<\/a>\u00a0of at least 110 degrees F (43.3 C), stretching from the last day of June through the entire month of July. At least 400 of the year\u2019s\u00a0645 heat-related deaths<\/a>\u00a0were during that period.<\/p>\n Phoenix, Maricopa County and Arizona state officials\u00a0are striving to better protect people<\/a>\u00a0from ever higher temperatures. Those\u00a0most in danger from the heat<\/a>\u00a0are people outdoors, especially homeless people in downtown areas who often lack sufficient access to things like water, shade and air conditioning.<\/p>\n This year, governments are setting aside more money to keep cooling stations open longer and on weekends, including two that will stay open overnight.<\/p>\n Mayor John Giles of the city of Mesa, just east of Phoenix, said officials are \u201ccommitted to ensuring that those most vulnerable to heat exposure have access to essential life-saving services, including hydration and cooling stations and daytime respite centers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n