A heat wave is sending temperatures in the West well above 100 degrees in several locations, and the temperatures are staying high through the weekend.

The National Weather Service issued heat alerts from parts of the Desert Southwest into California's Great Basin.

The heat wave has stoked wildfires in the West and forced calls for electricity conservation in Texas and California.

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(MORE: Californians, Texans Asked to Conserve Power as Heat Wave Bakes the West)

Residents in California were discouraged from using big appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and dryers and to keep their air conditioners set to 78 degrees or higher during the hours of 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., as the California Independent System Operator, which monitors the state's power grid, issued a Flex Alert for those hours.

In Texas, the main power grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), asked residents in the state to conserve power this week avoid blackouts as temperatures soared.

Salt Lake City tied its all-time record high on Tuesday at 107 degrees. Laramie, Wyoming, and Sheridan, Wyoming, also tied their all-time record highs on Tuesday, at 94 and 107 degrees, respectively.

The hot weather is stretching into the Northern Plains on Thursday, and may extend through the end of the month.

MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: Wildfires Rage as Heat Wave Bakes the West

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.