Record-Setting Heat Wave Engulfs Pacific Northwest
Seattle and Portland, Ore., face health emergencies as temperatures leap 30 degrees above normal
SEATTLE—Temperatures reached record highs in the Pacific Northwest over the weekend, resulting in heat-related emergencies and the lifting of some pandemic-related restrictions. The stretch of triple-digit weather, about 30 degrees hotter than normal for this part of the country, is expected to continue through Monday.
The 102 degrees seen at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Saturday was the second-highest ever recorded there, the National Weather Service said. The 108 degrees forecast for Monday would surpass the city’s record of 103 degrees.
The fire department responded to at least 12 heat-related emergencies in Seattle on Saturday, city officials said. Emergency departments and urgent-care centers in Portland, Ore., saw 14 cases that mentioned heat from Friday to Sunday afternoon, compared with none on a typical day this time of year, health officials said.
Portland reached a record high of 109 degrees Sunday afternoon, breaking the record of 108 it set on Saturday. Before this weekend, the last time the city hit 107 degrees was in 1981. Temperatures are predicted to hit 112 on Monday.
The Oregon Health Authority suspended pandemic-related capacity limits at swimming pools, movie theaters, shopping malls and cooling centers, as well as on public transit, to give residents more options to beat the heat. “We know that when the temperature reaches a certain point, especially when we’ve never had this type of heat for so many days, it’s a public-health emergency,” said Dan Douthit, a spokesman for the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management.
About 44% of homes in the Seattle area and 79% of homes in the Portland area have some form of air conditioning, according to the Census Bureau.
Officials in Seattle are urging residents to avoid outdoor activities between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and to take advantage of air-conditioned cooling centers in libraries, community centers and emergency shelters.
Temperatures in the Pacific Northwest are typically near the 70s this time of year.
Drought conditions in states including Utah, Nevada and California helped prime the path for the Pacific Northwest’s brush with record temperatures, said Dan Petersen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Md. Water in soil typically absorbs a portion of the sun’s heat, lowering the overall temperature. But when there is a shortage of water, such as during a drought, heat builds up and temperatures typically remain higher, he said.
The built-up heat moved north to Oregon and Washington, spurring a heat wave that arrived earlier than most other warm stretches.
“Most of the really intense heat waves of the summer happen in July and August, and that’s particularly the case for Oregon and Washington,” Mr. Petersen said.
Electricity providers in the region braced for several days of high demand. Portland General Electric Co. , a provider in Oregon, said it has activated extra cooling systems on its essential equipment to protect against overheating.
Temperatures are expected to begin dropping below 100 degrees on Tuesday, but remain elevated through the week.