A prolonged record-setting heat wave has tightened its grip on the West.

High temperatures throughout the region have fueled destructive wildfires and threatened rolling power shutoffs. Millions in California have been asked to reduce their energy consumption amid worries about a strained power grid.

Extreme weather events, including heat waves like this, have been occurring more often and will continue to be more frequent and intense due to the impacts of human-driven climate change, scientists have warned.

Olof Wood walks across reef-like structures exposed by receding waters at the Great Salt Lake in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, September 6. A blistering heat wave is breaking records in Utah, where temperatures in the capital hit 105 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday. That is the hottest September day on record in the city.
Olof Wood walks across reef-like structures exposed by receding waters at the Great Salt Lake in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, September 6. A blistering heat wave is breaking records in Utah, where temperatures in the capital hit 105 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday. That is the hottest September day on record in the city.
Rick Bowmer/AP
Michael Williams cools off with a bag of ice and a popsicle as the temperature rises in Santa Rosa, California, on Monday, September 5.
Michael Williams cools off with a bag of ice and a popsicle as the temperature rises in Santa Rosa, California, on Monday, September 5.
Kent Porter/AP
A firefighter battles the <a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2022%2F09%2F06%2Fus%2Fcalifornia-fairview-fire%2Findex.html" target="_blank">Fairview Fire</a> near Hemet, California, on September 5. The hot and dry conditions mean that fires will spread more quickly, rage more intensely and burn for longer.
A firefighter battles the Fairview Fire near Hemet, California, on September 5. The hot and dry conditions mean that fires will spread more quickly, rage more intensely and burn for longer.
Ethan Swope/AP
Rick Fitzpatrick holds a dog after evacuating from the Fairview Fire near Hemet on September 5. The wildfire forced residents to flee amid a severe heat wave that has enveloped the region.
Rick Fitzpatrick holds a dog after evacuating from the Fairview Fire near Hemet on September 5. The wildfire forced residents to flee amid a severe heat wave that has enveloped the region.
Ethan Swope/AP
Electrical transmission towers are seen in Vallejo, California, on Sunday, September 4. Blisteringly hot temperatures and a rash of wildfires are posing a twin threat to California's power grid.
Electrical transmission towers are seen in Vallejo, California, on Sunday, September 4. Blisteringly hot temperatures and a rash of wildfires are posing a twin threat to California's power grid.
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Volunteers with Water Drop LA prepare to deliver water and other items to members of the Skid Row community in Los Angeles on September 4.
Volunteers with Water Drop LA prepare to deliver water and other items to members of the Skid Row community in Los Angeles on September 4.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
The sun rises over mountains as seen from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 3.
The sun rises over mountains as seen from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 3.
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Motorists drive past a highway sign that carried a warning about extreme heat in Los Angeles on Friday, September 2. The sign also urged energy conservation.
Motorists drive past a highway sign that carried a warning about extreme heat in Los Angeles on Friday, September 2. The sign also urged energy conservation.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
A man takes a selfie at a thermometer in California's Death Valley National Park on Thursday, September 1.
A man takes a selfie at a thermometer in California's Death Valley National Park on Thursday, September 1.
John Locher/AP
A pedestrian in Los Angeles uses an umbrella to block the sun on September 1.
A pedestrian in Los Angeles uses an umbrella to block the sun on September 1.
Eric Thayer/Bloomberg/Getty Images
People visit Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park as the sun sets on September 1.
People visit Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park as the sun sets on September 1.
John Locher/AP
The World's Tallest Thermometer reads 103 degrees in Baker, California, on September 1.
The World's Tallest Thermometer reads 103 degrees in Baker, California, on September 1.
Kirby Lee/AP
A woman fills up a water jug at a water station in El Centro, California, on August 31.
A woman fills up a water jug at a water station in El Centro, California, on August 31.
Ariana Drehsler/Getty Images
Paskal Pawlicki from My Friend's House Foundation hands a bottle of water to a man in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles on August 31.
Paskal Pawlicki from My Friend's House Foundation hands a bottle of water to a man in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles on August 31.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Stephanie Williams cools off at a fire hydrant in Los Angeles' Skid Row neighborhood on August 31.
Stephanie Williams cools off at a fire hydrant in Los Angeles' Skid Row neighborhood on August 31.
Jae C. Hong/AP