Rosen: Heat in Nevada rising to the level of major disaster

Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., visited a cooling station last summer in Las Vegas on a scorching Southern Nevada day with temperatures exceeding 110 degrees.

Her message: Federal resources are needed to mitigate the impacts of intense heat.

This week, Rosen started the process to deliver those funds, helping introduce a proposal in the Senate that calls for classifying extreme heat as a major disaster.

The Extreme Heat Emergency Act seeks to expand the federal government’s disaster response capabilities by making extreme heat events eligible for Major Disaster Declarations under the Stafford Act. This 1998 federal law empowers the president to declare national emergencies in response to natural disasters and catastrophes — including wildfires, floods, explosions, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes — but notably excludes the increasingly deadly threat of extreme heat.

If passed, the legislation would authorize presidential disaster declarations specifically for extreme heat events, unlocking federal emergency resources and aid for affected communities.

“Last year, more than 500 people died in one single county in Nevada from heat-related illnesses,” Rosen said in a statement. “Current federal policy ignores the physical and health risks that such extremely high temperatures have on our communities, which is why I’m introducing a bill to change that.

The proposal co-sponsored by Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Ariz., has introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. Arizona, like Nevada, battles extreme summer heat.

“By classifying extreme heat as a major disaster, our communities will be able to receive the federal funding needed to respond and prepare for future extreme heat events,” Rosen continued.

Las Vegas and Reno are two of the fastest -warming cities in the nation.

On Monday, Las Vegas reached its hottest day of the year, with temperatures peaking around 112 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Las Vegas, which issued an extreme heat warning. The scorching temperatures prompted local jurisdictions to open cooling stations for residents seeking refuge.

There have been 29 heat-related deaths reported in Clark County this year. That number could increase since 90% of cases can take up to 90 days to investigate the cause and manner of death, the county said.

Last year was the region’s hottest and deadliest on record, with Clark County recording at least 526 heat-related deaths, a 78% increase from the year prior. July typically is the hottest month, and last year, July days averaged 6.7 degrees hotter than normal.

Temperatures this summer have been 6 to 10 degrees above normal, with highs of 110 degrees in Las Vegas and around 120 degrees in nearby regions such as Death Valley, according to the weather service. The agency has already issued multiple extreme heat warnings in June.

In June, Gov. Joe Lombardo signed Assembly Bill 96 into law, requiring Nevada’s two largest counties — Clark and Washoe — to adopt heat mitigation plans as part of their master plans. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.

The legislation mandates that counties with populations of more than 100,000 develop strategies to help communities withstand intensifying extreme heat. Required measures include establishing public cooling spaces, providing public drinking water, installing shade over paved surfaces, and implementing “cool building practices” to reduce heat’s impact on residents.

While the law formalizes these requirements, much of what it calls for is already being implemented across the region.

Along with the thousands of deaths caused by heat each year in the United States, hundreds of billions of dollars are also lost due to damages to critical infrastructure and economic productivity, according to Hannah Safford, associate director of climate and environment at the Federation of American Scientists.

The impacts of extreme heat cost the U.S. an estimated $162 billion in 2024—equivalent to nearly 1% of the nation’s GDP. The extreme heat and its consequences “overwhelm the capabilities of local governments,” Safford added.

The Federation of American Scientists — a group of scientists and researchers working to advance science, counter misinformation and minimize global threats — released their 2025 Heat Policy Agenda in January. The report outlines the best ways President Donald Trump and his administration can prepare for, manage and respond to extreme heat.

One of the group’s key recommendations was to amend the Stafford Act and “explicitly define extreme heat as a ‘major disaster,’ and expand the definition of damages to include non-infrastructure impacts.”

“The Extreme Heat Emergency Act recognizes extreme heat for what it is — an emergency — that the federal government needs to be ready to support response to before, during, and after the disaster,” Safford said. “Recognizing extreme heat as an emergency is critical to a heat-ready nation, as FAS emphasizes in its 2025 Heat Policy Agenda.”

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