A weekslong heat wave will intensify this weekend and push temperatures close to 130 degrees

By Eric Zerkel, CNN
5 minute read
Updated 11:23 AM EDT, Sat July 15, 2023
A person hides under a face cover in Manhattan's Central Park during a heat wave in New York on Friday, July 28.
A person hides under a face cover in Manhattan's Central Park during a heat wave in New York on Friday, July 28.
Amr Alfiky/Reuters
A construction worker drinks cold water during a heat wave where temperatures have reached over 110 degrees Fahrenheit for 27 consecutive days in Scottsdale, Arizona, on July 28.
A construction worker drinks cold water during a heat wave where temperatures have reached over 110 degrees Fahrenheit for 27 consecutive days in Scottsdale, Arizona, on July 28.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
People keep cool in a fountain at New York's Battery Park on Thursday, July 27.
People keep cool in a fountain at New York's Battery Park on Thursday, July 27.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Yemichael Abebe uses an umbrella to take shelter from the sun while waiting for a bus in Takoma Park, Maryland, on July 27.
Yemichael Abebe uses an umbrella to take shelter from the sun while waiting for a bus in Takoma Park, Maryland, on July 27.
Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post/Getty Images
City workers take a break in the shade of a nearby storefront as they lay down new pavement in Woodland Hills, California, on July 27.
City workers take a break in the shade of a nearby storefront as they lay down new pavement in Woodland Hills, California, on July 27.
Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
A woman shades herself from the sun along the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on July 27.
A woman shades herself from the sun along the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on July 27.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Vendors sell cold drinks near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27.
Vendors sell cold drinks near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Snickers, a great horned owl, is sprayed down with water by a volunteer at Liberty Wildlife, an animal rehabilitation center and hospital in Phoenix, on Wednesday, July 26.
Snickers, a great horned owl, is sprayed down with water by a volunteer at Liberty Wildlife, an animal rehabilitation center and hospital in Phoenix, on Wednesday, July 26.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Representatives of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust distribute shelter information and bottles of water to people in Miami on July 25.
Representatives of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust distribute shelter information and bottles of water to people in Miami on July 25.
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Rick White drinks water while cooling down in his tent in "The Zone," Phoenix's largest homeless encampment, on Tuesday, July 25.
Rick White drinks water while cooling down in his tent in "The Zone," Phoenix's largest homeless encampment, on Tuesday, July 25.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
A cactus in Phoenix is affected by the extreme heat and drought. Record-high temperatures in Arizona, combined with a lack of seasonal monsoons, have caused saguaro cactuses at the Desert Botanical Garden <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/27/us/phoenix-arizona-heat-saguaro-cactuses/index.html" target="_blank">to become "highly stressed,"</a> according to Chief Science Officer Kimberlie McCue.
A cactus in Phoenix is affected by the extreme heat and drought. Record-high temperatures in Arizona, combined with a lack of seasonal monsoons, have caused saguaro cactuses at the Desert Botanical Garden to become "highly stressed," according to Chief Science Officer Kimberlie McCue.
Liliana Salgado/Reuters
Israel Sanchez, left, and Alfonso Garcia carry a person onto a stretcher in Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 18. The person, who was suffering from dehydration, fell sick after he and his mother were found with a group of migrants who recently crossed the Rio Grande into the United States.
Israel Sanchez, left, and Alfonso Garcia carry a person onto a stretcher in Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 18. The person, who was suffering from dehydration, fell sick after he and his mother were found with a group of migrants who recently crossed the Rio Grande into the United States.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Roberto Guerrero, left, and his son Jose work in the early morning to install a new air conditioner at a home in Phoenix on July 18. Guerrero is part of perhaps the most essential workforce in town: AC repair techs. "If they need us, we go," he said of the long work hours.
Roberto Guerrero, left, and his son Jose work in the early morning to install a new air conditioner at a home in Phoenix on July 18. Guerrero is part of perhaps the most essential workforce in town: AC repair techs. "If they need us, we go," he said of the long work hours.
Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times/Redux
A person covers their head while trying to stay cool in "The Zone," a vast homeless encampment where hundreds of people reside in Phoenix, on July 18.
A person covers their head while trying to stay cool in "The Zone," a vast homeless encampment where hundreds of people reside in Phoenix, on July 18.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
Workers harvest onions overnight in Salem, New Mexico, to avoid working in the heat of the day on July 18.
Workers harvest onions overnight in Salem, New Mexico, to avoid working in the heat of the day on July 18.
Paul Ratje/The New York Times/Redux
A man in Las Vegas puts his head in misters to cool off on July 17.
A man in Las Vegas puts his head in misters to cool off on July 17.
Bridget Bennett/Reuters
A heat advisory sign is shown along Highway 190 at Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California, on July 16.
A heat advisory sign is shown along Highway 190 at Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California, on July 16.
Ronda Churchill/AFP/Getty Images
People sit in a crowded room at Phoenix's Justa Center, one of the area's many cooling centers, on July 16.
People sit in a crowded room at Phoenix's Justa Center, one of the area's many cooling centers, on July 16.
Megan Mendoza/USA Today Network/Reuters
A sign warning of extreme heat invites people to "Chill with Jesus" inside a church in Tucson, Arizona, on July 15.
A sign warning of extreme heat invites people to "Chill with Jesus" inside a church in Tucson, Arizona, on July 15.
Rebecca Noble/AFP/Getty Images
A firefighter watches flames from the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/16/us/california-wildfires-extreme-heat/index.html" target="_blank">Rabbit Fire</a> approach Gilman Springs Road in Moreno Valley, California, on July 14.
A firefighter watches flames from the Rabbit Fire approach Gilman Springs Road in Moreno Valley, California, on July 14.
Eric Thayer/AP
A person seeking shelter from the heat watches the weather forecast at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Phoenix on July 14.
A person seeking shelter from the heat watches the weather forecast at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Phoenix on July 14.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Capt. Darren Noak, a medic with Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, applies a chemical ice pack to a man in Austin, Texas, on July 12.
Capt. Darren Noak, a medic with Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, applies a chemical ice pack to a man in Austin, Texas, on July 12.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman/AP
A person fishes in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on July 12.
A person fishes in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on July 12.
Richard Ellis/Zuma
A sleeping child is protected from the sun in Los Angeles on July 12.
A sleeping child is protected from the sun in Los Angeles on July 12.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
A sign displays the temperature on July 12 as jets taxi at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport.
A sign displays the temperature on July 12 as jets taxi at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport.
Matt York/AP
Kristin Peterson cools off with a cold bandana at the Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center in Austin on July 11.
Kristin Peterson cools off with a cold bandana at the Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center in Austin on July 11.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman/AP
The "World's Tallest Thermometer" shows temperatures reaching triple digits in Baker, California, on July 11.
The "World's Tallest Thermometer" shows temperatures reaching triple digits in Baker, California, on July 11.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
Steven Rodriguez picks okra in Coachella, California, on July 11.
Steven Rodriguez picks okra in Coachella, California, on July 11.
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images