From British Columbia, down through Washington and Oregon – temperatures have been record-breaking. The heatwave is expected to last through the weekend when a trough of cooler air is expected to move into the region Monday evening.
Authorities are investigating whether triple-digit temperatures were to blame for the deaths of at least four people. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office said at least three people have died of suspected hyperthermia in Multnomah County, which includes Portland.
A fourth death was suspected to have been due to heat in Umatilla County in the eastern part of the state, according to the Associated Press.
British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon have endured scorching heat since July 25, with temperatures soaring as high as 40 C (104 F) or more. Yet even as the forecast is calling for some relief in the Pacific Northwest, The Washington Post reports this is but a prelude to an even bigger heatwave building across the rest of the Lower 48, which will bring sweltering conditions to much of the Plains, Midwest and Corn Belt as the calendar flips to August.
If temperatures rise above 90 degrees through Sunday in Seattle, that would make six straight days of such heat. Forecasters say that has never happened before in the city.
Environment Canada’s forecast on Friday suggests daily highs of 20 to 21 C (68 to 69 F) on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with a chance of showers at least part of the time, according to CTV News Canada.
Climate change is fueling longer heatwaves in the Pacific Northwest, a region where weeklong heat spells were historically rare, climate experts said. Residents and officials in the Northwest have been trying to adjust to the likely reality of longer, hotter heatwaves after last summer’s deadly “heat dome” weather phenomenon.
Close to 800 people died in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia during that heat wave, which hit in late June and early July, of 2021.