5 Weather

 A heat wave has begun in California. Temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley are expected to exceed 105 degrees Celsius for eight days, threatening the more than 200,000 farm workers who harvest the valley's tomatoes, strawberries and other crops. Temperatures in parts of California's 8 million acres of farmland could reach 112 degrees on Tuesday, where many fruits and vegetables are grown. Civil Eats reports that exposure to this heat can be fatal. Agricultural workers, mostly migrant and Spanish-speaking workers, are 20 times more likely to die from heat-related causes than other occupations. In 2004, a vineyard worker died of heat stroke while picking grapes for 10 hours at 105 degrees Celsius, making California the nation's first heat benchmark. Employers must provide water and shade when the temperature rises above 80 degrees. Since then, fatal heat-related illnesses have declined, according to the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but recent researc...