Seattle broke record highs on Tuesday and reached 94 degrees Fahrenheit a few days later. Some cities in the northeast have surpassed their own heat records..
The Pacific Northwest has experienced meteorologists believing that it is an unusually long heat spell for the region, extending over the weekend. Bellingham and Olympia, cities in western Washington, also broke heat records on Tuesday. According to the National Weather Service.
Boston, Philadelphia, and some other northeastern cities soared earlier this week, surpassing heat records, resulting in At least two heat-related deaths.. According to the National Weather Service, the persistent heat wave in the south-central United States is expected to continue for a few more days, causing heat waves throughout the northwestern United States.
Portland, Oregon reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, and Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency in most of the state.
Portland-based 23-year-old Claire MacArthur tried to keep Tuesday cool as temperatures rose.
“I’m on a classic popsicle diet and I’m standing on a wet washcloth to regulate my body temperature,” she told USA Today.when Portland reached a record high of 116 degrees Celsius last summerShe spent her days handing out bottles of frozen water to people experiencing homelessness.
“There are few cooling centers we have, and they’re in between. They’re useful, but they fill up quickly,” she said. “And it’s a really dangerous time for the outsiders.”
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In 2021, the heat wave of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia killed about 800 people. Most of the people who died were elderly and lived alone. Oregon health officials said more and more people were reporting fever-related illnesses in the emergency department during the heat wave of the year.
“Daily visits to fever-related illnesses exceed expected levels across the state,” said Jonathan Modi, chief communications officer for the public health department of the Oregon Department of Health. He said there were 32 such visits to the emergency room on Monday, compared to 3-5 times a day before the heat wave began.
Portland and Seattle officials have opened cooling centers throughout the city. Multnomah County, including Portland, will open four nighttime emergency cooling shelters starting Tuesday night, county spokesman Kate Yeiser said.
“We’re going to find space for those who need it,” Yeiser said, adding that the site has a “turnaway ban policy.”
Contribution: Associated Press
This article was originally published in USA TODAY: Pacific Northwest Heatwave: Seattle Breaks Record Highs