The temperature reads 118F (48C) on a sign outside a church in Sun City, Arizona on Saturday. The southwest of the United States sizzled Saturday as a heat wave baked the region amid predictions that temperatures in some areas could approach all-time record highs.

The southwest of the United States sizzled Saturday as a heat wave baked the region amid predictions that temperatures in some areas could approach all-time record highs.

The National Weather Service warned that the scorching heat could be life-threating and that it was not expected to let up for the next several days.

It said one of the hottest areas would be Death Valley, with temperatures there expected to be near 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius) on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

"Many locations will break daily records and even approach all-time records," the National Weather Service said on its website.

Simon Lunsford, 9, cools off in the Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain in Los Angeles on Friday. The states in the hot seat are California, Arizona and Nevada. Death Valley National Park is located partly in California and partly in Nevada.

Death Valley holds the world heat record—134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius) was recorded here on July 10, 1913.

The states in the hot seat are California, Arizona and Nevada. Death Valley National Park is located partly in California and partly in Nevada.

Saturday afternoon, expected temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, to hit 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius). In Palm Springs, California, 119 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) were possible, they said.

Captain, a boxer pitbull mix, sits with his owner in Echo Lake Park in Los Angeles, California on Saturday. The National Weather Service warned that the scorching heat could be life-threating and that it was not expected to let up for the next several days.

In Las Vegas, 30 people at an open air music festival had to be hospitalized Friday due to the heat, broadcaster NBC reported.

© 2013 AFP