Extreme heat will bake America’s cities

By Aryn Braun

The monsoon is late again. Without the almost biblical rains, there is nothing to break the heat during a long stretch of days above 43°C (109°F). The pavement is scalding. Hospital wards are filling with burn victims. Even the cacti seem crispy. Many people venture out only in the early morning, before the sun rises. The rest of the time they take refuge in air-conditioned rooms: the invention that makes life in the desert possible.