Phoenix hits record October highs during heat wave before wrapping up its warm season

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix wrapped up its annual six-month warm season this week after the Southwest broiled through an unprecedented autumn heat wave that saw daily highs in the United States' hottest city topping 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) in October for the first time on record — four...

Wildfires in California have burned 1 million acres so far this year. Heat wave poses more risk

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The total acres burned in California this year surpassed 1 million as spiking temperatures Tuesday added to the challenges facing firefighters struggling to contain a stubborn blaze in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles that flared up over the weekend. ...

Brazil drought punishes coffee farms and threatens to push prices even higher

CACONDE, Brazil (AP) — Silvio Almeida’s coffee plantation sits at an ideal altitude on a Brazilian hillside, whose clay-rich soil does well at retaining moisture from rainfall and a nearby reservoir. Lately, though, water is scarce on Almeida's modest farm in Caconde, a town in...

Wall Street jumps to record highs as global markets cheer Fed rate cut

How this one climate fix means a school nurse sees fewer students sick from the heat

When students would come to the nurse's office at Johnson Senior High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, complaining of headaches and feeling too hot, Rebecca Randall was always ready. She would hand out water bottles, apply ice packs and ask the students to remove their hoodies and extra layers. Even...

More extreme heat plus more people equals danger in these California cities

On a recent sunny afternoon in Lancaster, Cassandra Hughes looked for a place to cool down. She set up a lawn chair in the shade at the edge of a park and spent the afternoon with a coloring book, listening to hip-hop music. Reaching a high of 97 degrees, this August day was...

Phoenix weathers 100 days of 100-plus degree temps as heat scorches western US

PHOENIX (AP) — Cam Ferguson gets to his spot on the street adjacent to Chase Field — home of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks — about four hours before first pitch to set up his usual display of cold water, sports drinks, peanuts and candy. By game time, it's about...

From cold towels to early dismissal, people are finding ways to cope with a 2nd day of heat wave

CHICAGO (AP) — As a second straight day of hot soupy temperatures approaching triple digits hung over much of the Midwest on Tuesday, residents looked for ways to stay cool and indoors. Darrell Taylor, 61, has no air-conditioning in his apartment in Chicago, where it reached a...

Fair-goers scorched by heartland heat wave take refuge under misters as some schools let out early

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) — Visitors to the Minnesota State Fair sought relief from soaring temperatures under misters Monday while some Midwestern schools dismissed classes early or called off sports practices. Highs approaching the century mark combined with oppressive humidity...

Triple-digit temperatures scorch Texas as millions across Southwest under excessive heat warnings

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Summer heat scorched Texas and the Southwest on Wednesday, pushing Phoenix to nearly 90 consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures and putting millions of people under excessive heat warnings. Meanwhile, energy demand in Texas hit an unofficial all-time high...