Heat

Hotter summers across our region are making it difficult for some workers to stay cool and comfortable, that includes food truck owners who cook over hot stoves and fryers in small spaces.

For three years, a number of groups in Idaho have worked together to raise funds and distribute water and other supplies to farmworkers. Organizations in the region have been responding to the toll of extreme heat on those who toil outside.

Temperatures will linger in the triple digits for parts of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana this week, with little relief coming at night.

As yet another heat advisory blankets the region, ushering in some of the hottest temperatures of the season, a team of climate action activists (they’re also Boise high school students) say it’s not too late to turn back the tide.

Although August shouldn’t be as hot as a record-breaking July, the majority of western states could see above average temperatures throughout the rest of the summer. That means extra precautions may be necessary to keep pets and livestock healthy and safe.

"A molecule of CO2 emitted from China is the same as a molecule of CO2 emitted from Boise. It contributes to the warming of the planet. It stays there for thousands of years."

July was likely the warmest month worldwide in recorded history. In much of the Mountain West, heat waves made more extreme by human-caused climate change pushed average temperatures beyond typical levels.

Here in Idaho everyone has been feeling the heat, including the animals! And because they can’t pop inside for a little air conditioning animals have adapted to the heat in different ways, including splooting.

Climate Central has new analysis out showing how many people are impacted by urban heat islands, areas of cities where the built environment raises temperatures relative to surrounding areas. Several Western cities - including Denver and Las Vegas - were included, and the data show that hundreds of thousands of residents are living in areas where temperatures can be 8 degrees or warmer as a result of the heat island effect.

New data shows that nearly 1 out of 4 people in the U.S. live in circumstances that make them vulnerable to extreme heat. But some infrastructure changes could offer some hope.