Cheering 1st day of summer?

Associated Press

PHOENIX

The first day of summer brought some of the worst heat the Southwest U.S. has seen in years, forcing flights to be canceled, straining the power grid and making life miserable for workers toiling in temperatures that reached 120 degrees or higher in some desert cities.

Arizona, Nevada and California saw dramatic temperatures Tuesday as researchers say deadly heat waves such as this one were going to grow more frequent.

Meteorologists said the temperature topped out at 119 degrees in Phoenix. Death Valley, Calif., reached 125, and Palm Springs hit 121, still a degree lower than the same day last year.

The operator of California’s power grid called on people to conserve electricity during peak hours.

At a downtown Phoenix construction site, men in hard hats and yellow vests labored and sweated in the morning heat and downed water to stay hydrated. Project superintendent Tommy Russell says his company has held weekly safety meetings to prepare for the heat, and he will send all his workers home if it hits 120.

“We anticipate the weather, so we keep everyone hydrated, we keep everyone watered down,” Russell said.

Landscaper Juan Guadalupe scaled a spindly palm tree more than 50 feet tall in Phoenix, using a chain saw to hack the branches. He planned to drink at least 2 gallons of water and quit his day at 2 p.m. – before the really ugly temperatures arrived.

He didn’t mind being tethered to a tall tree because he occasionally catches a cool breeze.

“Down here, it’s hot,” Guadalupe said.

With the cooling and hydration stations in full swing across the region, hundreds flocked Grace Lutheran Church in Phoenix for water, meals, snacks, and refuge.

“We have homeless people come from a long way to sit here,” longtime volunteer Moses Elder said. “There are other spots where you can go get cold water and sit down and cool off, but there are few places you can lay down and get something to eat.”

The church houses about 180 people every day during the summer and typically goes through about 25 cases of water and 50 pounds of ice a day, Elder said.

Phoenix has hit 120 only three times in recorded history – the last time 22 years ago. The record high was 122 degrees on June 26, 1990.

The city reached 118 Monday, which the National Weather Service says is rare. In fact, temperatures at that mark or higher have only been reached 15 times since record-keeping started in 1896.