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Western US states are baking in an extended heat wave, with temperatures threatening to break the all-time high recorded on Earth, BBC reported.

In Phoenix, Arizona, the mercury hit 47C (116F) on Friday, and in the desert of Death Valley, California, the thermometer approached 51C.

The heat wave is expected to last through the weekend.

Cities in the region are opening cooling centres and officials fear the heat could delay air travel.

Most large aircraft can operate in temperatures up to 52C, but readings as low as 47C could affect liftoff conditions.

A US Airways spokesman said the airline would be monitoring temperatures in Phoenix "very closely.”

Michael Fedo of Scottsdale, Arizona, told the BBC his family was spending less time outdoors as the temperature rose and that he had taken to going to the grocery store in the middle of the night.

"I've installed blackout shades on every window in my house," he said.

"I'm a fourth-generation native of Phoenix so I expect it to be hot. But when it goes above 45C it hurts to breathe. The heat sucks the energy from your core."

The National Weather Service has issued a heat warning for several parts of the region, including Las Vegas, until Monday morning. Parts of five states including Colorado and Utah will see temperatures higher than 37C over the weekend.

Temperatures in Death Valley in the California desert are forecast to reach 53C over the weekend. The hottest air temperature ever recorded on Earth, 57C, was marked there almost 100 years ago on 10 July 1913.