Summer's 1st day a scorcher

Photo: The Canadian Press

Xaviere Coleman pours water over his head to cool off in a Wookiee costume along the Las Vegas Strip, Tuesday.

Phoenix saw one of its hottest days in recorded history on the first day of summer, Tuesday.

Authorities issued several warnings about the dangers of the heat.

The first day of summer brought some of the worst heat the southwestern U.S. has seen in years.

Meteorologists said Tuesday's temperature in Phoenix topped out at 119 F, a mark that's only been matched or surpassed four other times in the city's history. The all-time high was 122 F on June 26, 1990.

Death Valley, Calif., reached 127 Tuesday and Palm Springs hit 122, tying the degree for the same day last year.

In Las Vegas, visitors tried to stay inside air-conditioned casinos and lugged packs of bottled water around the Strip. 

Arizona Public Service Company, the state's largest electricity provider, says customers set a record peak usage of more than  7,300 megawatts between 5 and 6 p.m.

In addition to grounding more than 40 flights of smaller planes, airlines have been taking measures on larger jets to reduce their weight so they can safely take off in the heat.