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NWS Forecasts Continued Dangerous Heat in Southwest US, Temporary Relief in Southern Plains

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The US National Weather Service said Southwest US is expected to see continued dangerous heat through Friday, with temperatures expected to reach daytime highs of 110-115 degree Fahrenheit.

Temperatures are expected to briefly drop to near-normal levels by late week in the southern Plains before rising again into next week over much of the plains, the agency said.

In parts of northeast US, there is a possibility of scattered strong to severe thunderstorms on Thursday, along with damaging wind, hail, and a couple of tornadoes.

The NWS issued an extreme heat warning for Las Vegas and Beatty in Nevada, which falls under the service area of Berkshire Hathaway Energy unit NV Energy, were also placed under a similar warning.

A similar warning was raised for Arizona's Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City, Yuma, Parker, Gila Bend, Dateland, Ajo, Wickenburg, Phoenix, Casa Grande, Globe, Prescott, Tucson, Nogales, Grand Canyon Village, Sierra Vista, Safford, Willcox, Benson, Bisbee, San Carlos, Oracle, Oro Valley, and Green Valley. Arizona is primarily served by Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) unit Arizona Public Service Company, and UNS Energy subsidiaries Unisource and Tucson Electric Power.

In California, an extreme heat warning was raised for Palm Springs, Blythe, El Centro Imperial, Twentynine Palms, Barstow, Baker, Death Valley, Victorville, Burbank, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beaumont, Riverside, Ontario, Chino, Palm Springs, Indio, Hemet, Temecula, Anaheim, Santa Ana, San Clemente, Borrego Springs, Escondido, Julian, Mount Laguna, El Cajon, Campo, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Long Beach, Avalon, Malibu, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, Lompoc, and Santa Maria. Meanwhile, a red flag warning was raised for Tulelake, Canby, Alturas, Likely, San Luis Obispo, and parts of Santa Maria.

PacifiCorp's Pacific Power, PG&E (PCG) subsidiary Pacific Gas and Electric, Edison International's (EIX) Southern California Edison, and Sempra Energy (SRE) unit San Diego Gas & Electric are the major electricity service providers in these places.

A red flag warning was also raised for Oregon's Chemult, Silver Lake, Paisley, Chiloquin, Bly, Lakeview, Klamath Falls, Adel, Crater Lake, Burns, and Jordan Valley. These places are primarily served by Pacific Power and Idacorp's (IDA) Idaho Power.

Affected areas in Washington include Wenatchee, Omak, Chelan, Coulee Dam, and parts of Moses Lake, where Puget Sound Energy and Avista's (AVA) Avista Utilities are the major service providers.

Parts of southwestern Idaho bordering Washington, including areas near Caldwell, Boise and Mountain Home, were also covered by a red flag warning watch. An evacuation immediate notice was issued for Lincoln County and parts of Hailey due to dangers related to wildhorse fire. These places primarily fall under the service area of Idaho Power.

The NWS issued a flash flood warning for areas near Hobbs in New Mexico. Flood warnings were raised for Canton, Havana, and areas near Carmi in Illinois; and Indiana's Terre Haute, Vincennes, Petersburg, and areas bordering Illinois.

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