--- title: "It’s So Hot That People Are Getting Burned From Falling on the Ground" description: "People aren't just landing in the hospital due to severe dehydration or heat stroke during the ongoing heat waves. The ground in one Arizona county is so hot, people are getting life-threatening burns simply for falling on the blistering ground. As temperatures have soared in the state, reaching a scorching 119 degrees Fahrenheit in some […]" date: "2023-07-28" modified: "2023-07-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/hot-arizona-people-ground-burned" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "arizona" - "climate change" - "the digest" --- # It’s So Hot That People Are Getting Burned From Falling on the Ground ![The asphalt in one Arizona county is so hot, people are getting life-threatening burns simply for falling on the blistering ground.]() *\Image: Brandon Bell/Getty Images\* ## Floor Is Lava People aren't just [landing in the hospital]() due to severe dehydration or heat stroke during the ongoing heat waves that have gripped huge swathes of the country. The asphalt in one Arizona county is so hot, it turns out, that people are getting life-threatening burns simply for falling on the blistering ground. As temperatures have soared in the state, reaching a scorching [119 degrees Fahrenheit]() in some parts, the asphalt can easily be 40 to 60 degrees hotter than that, [*CNN* reports](). And that's enough to cause serious burns. "The temperature of asphalt and pavement and concrete and sidewalks in Arizona on a warm sunny day or summer afternoon is 180 degrees sometimes," Kevin Foster, director of burn services at the Arizona Burn Center, told *CNN*. "I mean, it’s just a little below boiling, so it’s really something." ## Real Scorcher Given the unprecedented temperatures — a perfect storm of returning weather patterns heightened by global warming — the situation has never been quite this bad. "Summers are our busy season, so we anticipate that this sort of thing is going to happen," Foster told *CNN*. "But this is really unusual — the number of patients that we’re seeing and the severity of injuries — the acuity of injuries is much higher." And it doesn't take a major spill to receive some serious burns. According to Foster, as little as a "fraction of a second" of contact with the blistering ground can result in a "pretty deep burn." Prolonged contact could result in third-degree burns, which will require reconstructive surgeries and therapy. This year is already shaping up to be full of record-breaking temperatures, from [boiling oceans]() to [vanishing]() polar ice. In other words, the fact that we have to contend with face-melting sidewalks is just the tip of the rapidly melting iceberg. **More on climate change:** *[Climate Scientists Horrified That Their Predictions Were Correct]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()