A 52-year-old Wisconsin man and his 23-year-old daughter died after losing their way and running out of water in extreme heat in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. According to one report, the two were hiking in 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius). New York Post.
National Park Service rangers said someone in the Island of the Sky area of ​​Canyonlands texted a San Juan County dispatcher 911 on Friday afternoon. After receiving the emergency call, Bureau of Land Management Moab District helitack deputies began searching for the father and daughter.
However, according to the National Park Service, by the time they were found, they were dead.
The tragedy is one of the most recent deaths in national parks this summer. At Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, several hikers died who were unprepared for triple-digit temperatures. A motorcyclist in California died when the mercury reached 128 degrees Fahrenheit.
National Park Service rangers encourage people to bring plenty of water when hiking and to avoid hiking during the afternoon, when temperatures are at their highest.
A severe heat wave swept across the central to eastern parts of the United States in June, with many cities recording the hottest temperatures in decades, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Experts have warned that this heat wave could turn into a deadly weather event, dubbing it a “silent killer.”
Kristi Eby, a public health scientist at the University of Washington who contributed to a UN special report on extreme weather, told PBS that in recent years, heat has been “coming more quickly and more intensely than we expected.”
The heat wave that has spread across much of the U.S. is caused by what meteorologists call a “heat dome.” The phenomenon involves a high-pressure system in the atmosphere that drags down and compresses warm air, resulting in increased temperatures at ground level. Nearly 80 million people across the U.S. are experiencing extreme heat, with heat warnings or excessive heat warnings issued. Residents are urged to take precautions, stay hydrated and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.