CALIFORNIA: Extreme heat is building in the western United States, with forecasts of record-breaking temperatures in the states of California and Nevada, BBC has reported.

California’s Death Valley on Friday recorded a high of 54.4C, with similar heat expected this weekend, it said.

People in the US are under warnings of excessive heat.

The National Weather Service has advised those affected to drink plenty of water and stay in air-conditioned buildings, according to BBC.

On Friday, the temperature in Death Valley matched one recorded in August 2020 – which some argue is the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth. A temperature of 56.7C (134F) was recorded in 1913, but this is contested by climate experts, it said.

In the north of Nevada, near the border with California, people were evacuated from their homes as wildfires triggered by lightning strikes tore through parts of the Sierra Nevada forest region.

Forecasters say Las Vegas’s record of 47.2C could also be passed.

(With inputs from BBC)