Heat wave to hit Pacific Northwest a year after deadly event

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a major heat wave, with temperatures forecast to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) in some places this week as climate change fuels longer hot spells in a region where such events were historically uncommon.

“To have five-day stretches or a weeklong stretch above 90 degrees is very, very rare for the Pacific Northwest,” said Vivek Shandas, professor of climate adaptation at Portland State University.

Local officials and residents have been scrambling to adjust to longer, hotter heat waves following last summer's deadly “heat dome.” In late June and early July 2021, about 800 people died across Oregon, Washington and British Columbia during the days-long extreme heat event, which saw record temperatures soar to 116 degrees F (46.7 C) in Portland and smash heat records in cities and towns across the region. Many of those who died were elderly and lived alone.

While temperatures aren’t expected to reach those highs next week, the number of consecutive hot days has officials on guard. Portland, Oregon, could top 100 degrees F (37.8 C) on Tuesday and wide swaths of western Oregon and Washington are predicted to be well above historic averages throughout the week.

“It’s nothing we haven’t seen before in terms of the magnitude, but the duration of the event is fairly unusual,” said John Bumgardner, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Portland.

“We’re trying to message that people who don’t have AC might have a harder time near the end of the event,” said Bumgardner, adding there may be an “accumulation” of sleep deprivation if it doesn’t cool off sufficiently at night. Overnight temperatures may not dip below the 70s in some areas.

Much of the U.S. saw above-average warmer temperatures...