heat wave

Producers of the western movie "Rust" may have to forgo a robust economic incentive as they try to sell the film to distributors and fulfill financial obligations to the immediate family of a cinematographer who was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin during rehearsal in 2021. Plus, sizzling sidewalks and unshaded playgrounds increasingly are posing risks for surface burns as air temperatures reach new highs during the searing summers in cities across the southwest.

Though summer doesn’t officially begin until next week, temperatures are already hitting the triple digits across parts of New Mexico. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Thursday in the middle and lower Rio Grande Valley. A shelter in Socorro is seeking volunteers to help keep its cooling center open on these sweltering days.

The Public Service Company of New Mexico, or PNM, is offering support for customers unable to pay their energy bills on time during the summer heatwave. The company also said it hit two record-setting system peaks in July.

As a heatwave continues to scorch the Southwest, Albuquerque is seeing an unusual run of triple-digit days. Heat advisories warn of health consequences for everyone, but unhoused people are particularly vulnerable. And the homeless population statewide has surged by 48% over the last year.

As temperatures soar, the City of Albuquerque announced Operation Cooldown to help prevent overheating this weekend with cheap and free pool tickets, splash pads, sprinkler play and cooling centers for unhoused and at-risk people and pets.

Temperatures are soaring in the Southwest this week –– with highs reaching close to historical records here in New Mexico. The heat has researchers worried about birds and their health as climate change diminishes food and water supplies for native and migratory species.

Up until now New Mexicans have been enjoying a mostly “cool” summer. The scorching heat came out of the blue for most, but is definitely more typical of this time of year and it has many looking for relief.

There’s an ice shortage in parts of the Mountain West, so you may not be able to buy as much as you need for that backyard gathering. The shortage is due to a big increase in events, the heat wave and a labor shortage. Distributors say it’s especially hard to find truck drivers to deliver the ice.