Scorching heat keeps grip on Southwest US as records tumble and more triple digits forecast

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The first heat wave of the year is expected to maintain its grip on the Southwestern United States for at least another day Friday, a day after records tumbled across the region with temperatures soaring past 110 degrees Fahrenheit from southeast California to Arizona. “High temperatures as much as 10 to 15 degrees above normal can be expected, with record high temperatures likely for some sites through Friday," the weather service in Las Vegas said. And in Las Vegas, with a new record of 111 Thursday that also equaled the earliest time of year the high reached at least 110, the Clark County Fire Department said it had responded to at least 12 calls for heat exposure since midnight Wednesday. Megan Wallace, mother of the birthday girl from Utah who also came packing water bottles, said: "We started just a few minutes after 6 and it’s like we came prepared, but we got through all of our water and it was hot — was hotter than we’re used to.” ____ Associated Press writers Anita Snow and Ty O'Neil in Phoenix, and Rio Yamat and Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.