Portland and Salem, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, set new temperature records for the Pacific Northwest. Bread under the heat wave Resulting in the closure of much of the daily life of the residents.
In Salem, the capital of Oregon, temperatures reached 47.2 °C (117 °F), the highest temperature since record-keeping began in the 1890s.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport recorded an all-time high temperature of 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 Fahrenheit), breaking the record set a day earlier.
The Portland airport temperature reached 46.1 degrees Celsius (115 Fahrenheit) yesterday, breaking all-time highs for the third day in a row.
The National Weather Service said that before a record high of 44.4 degrees Celsius (112 Fahrenheit) on Sunday and 42.2 degrees Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) on Saturday, the previous 41.6 degrees Celsius (107 Fahrenheit) since 1981 had not been reached.
The heat is attributed to the high atmospheric pressure dome over the northwestern United States and Canada, similar to conditions that punished California and the southwestern states earlier this month.
Portland, known for its rainy weather and little sun, was not particularly equipped to handle the high temperatures. Stores sold out air conditioning units and ice was hard to find.
Bars and restaurants closed because kitchen vents couldn’t keep up with the rising temperatures, creating dangerous conditions for cooks.
Multnomah County, which includes Portland, has opened 11 emergency «cooling shelters,» most of them in public libraries, where people without air conditioners can escape the sweltering heat.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, eased Covid-19 restrictions on theaters, swimming pools and malls and residents flocked to public pools and even fountains to cool off.
Portland Parks and Recreation have closed public pools after several lifeguards developed heat-related illnesses, the agency said.
Sarah Shaul, co-founder of Bricks Need Mortar, a business advocacy and consulting group, said some companies with air conditioners have remained open as informal cooling shelters for employees.
In Seattle, the largest city in Washington state, the mercury rose on Sunday to an all-time high of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit),
Beating a 2009 record high of 39.4 °C (103 °F).
Similarly, the state capital of Olympia set a new record high of 40.5 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit), beating its 2009 record high by one degree, according to the weather service.
She added that the heat wave is expected to subside somewhat west of the Cascade Range by today, but it will continue throughout the week in the east of those mountains.
Experts say extreme weather events such as the heat waves that have hit parts of the United States this year cannot always be directly linked to climate change.
Unusual weather patterns may become more common amid rising global temperatures, Eric Schoening, a meteorologist with the Weather Service, said in an interview this month.
In western Canada, schools and Covid-19 vaccination centers closed yesterday while community cooling centers opened.
Lytton in British Columbia broke the record for the highest in Canadian history, with a temperature of 47.9 °C (118 °F).
«It’s desert heat – very dry and hot,» said David Phillips, chief climate scientist at Environment Canada.
«We are the second coldest and snowiest country in the world,» he said. «We often see cold storms and blizzards but we don’t often talk about hot weather like this.»
«Dubai will be much colder than what we see now.»
In Vancouver, officials have set up temporary water fountains and mist stations on street corners, while forestry and fisheries services have warned of the dangers of severe wildfires and low levels of lake and river waters affecting fish.
Beaches and pools filled up while emergency services, overwhelmed with calls, warned ambulances would be delayed.
Environment Canada has issued alerts for British Columbia, Alberta, parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, saying that «a long, dangerous and historic heat wave will continue through this week.»
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