The 2018 North American heat wave affected regions of Canada, where at least 70 deaths in Quebec were heat-related,[1] the United States, where 18 states between Michigan and New Mexico issued heat advisories to a population of over 60 million people,[2] and of Mexico, particularly the northwest and central regions.
[3] From June 29 to July 6, 2018, the air temperature consistently rose above 35 °C (95.0 °F) in parts of Quebec and Ontario.
The humidex value for Ottawa on Canada Day between noon and 3 pm was 47.0 °C (116.6 °F), the highest ever recorded in the city.
The heat wave also affected the Maritimes, with the humidex value reaching 35 °C (95 °F) in Halifax and 45 °C (113 °F) at Greenwood in the Annapolis Valley, on 5 July.
[8] In Ontario, where only accidental deaths directly caused by heat are counted, the coroner's office is investigating three possible cases.
On the 23rd of July, the interaction between a far-northwest Azores-Bermuda High and a trough over Ontario led to the issuing of heat warnings for all three Maritime Provinces, with several locations reporting humidex values in excess of 36.
High temperatures of 40.0 °C (104.0 °F) were recorded on Manitoba Agriculture weather stations in both Elm Creek and Waskada on August 12.
[28][19] On 6 July, the temperature at UCLA was 111 °F (43.9 °C), breaking the all-time high temperature record of 109 °F (42.8 °C) set in 1939 but still 6 °F (3.3 °C) lower than the record 117 °F (47.2 °C) set in Woodland Hills, a Los Angeles neighborhood, at about 1 p.m. local time the same day, according to the weather service.
[30] The combined conditions of heat and dryness fueled wildfires that caused one fatality and hundreds of evacuations.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also urged people to stay out of the sun on July 24.
[37] On July 26, the visitor center at Furnace Creek, California in Death Valley had been over 111 °F (43.9 °C) since 10:00am and it climbed to 124.3 °F (51.3 °C) at 4pm local time.
The fires were visible for several miles on the south side of the Mineral King Road and Slapjack Creek, a National Park officials said on July 22.
[56] The states of Baja California, Sonora, Nayarit, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Querétaro and Morelos registered temperatures between 40 °C (104.0 °F) to 45 °C (113.0 °F), while Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Michoacán and Hidalgo between 45 °C (113.0 °F) and 50 °C (122.0 °F).
[56] The states of Hidalgo, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Zacatecas and Jalisco broke historical highs going back more than 50 years.
[58] The extraordinary sales of cold beverages, ice creams, pops and other items popular during hot weather increased to such an extent that Canacope Puebla, a Mexico City business chamber, estimated the nation's GDP would increase by approximately 260 million pesos ($13 mln).