Unprecedented heat wave in Pacific Northwest starts roasting the region

Andrew Freedman
·3 min read

The most severe heat wave on record in the Pacific Northwest and southwestern Canada kicks into high gear Friday and will intensify throughout the weekend and into next week.

Why it matters: Heat waves like this one are significant public health threats, particularly in areas like the Northwest, where many people lack air conditioning.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

  • Extreme heat tends to be the biggest weather-related killer each year in the U.S., outranking even tornadoes and hurricanes.

  • Numerous daily, monthly and all-time high temperature records will be shattered.

The big picture: Extreme heat events are directly tied to human-caused global warming, with studies showing that severe heat events are now on average about 3°F to 5°F hotter than they would be without emissions of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel burning, deforestation and other activities.

What they're saying: The National Weather Service, which is typically cautious in its word choices with the public, is not holding back in its messaging this time around.

  • The agency's forecast office in Portland, for example, issued a forecast discussion Friday morning stating, "...UNPRECEDENTED HEAT WAVE EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK..."

  • Agency social media accounts have also been relaying hot weather safety tips and directing people to cooling shelters.

Driving the news: A highly unusual weather pattern is setting up over the Pacific Northwest, with a record-strong high-pressure area aloft — known as a "heat dome" — settling over the region and intensifying through Monday. Such a heat dome, if it reaches the strength that computer models are projecting, would yield temperature departures from average of between 25 and 45°F across multiple states and British Columbia.

  • This heat, combined with a worsening drought, will raise the risk of wildfires across multiple Western states.

  • It will also cause power demand to spike.

By the numbers: Virtually all of Oregon and Washington, plus portions of California, Idaho and Montana, are under excessive heat watches and warnings. This is the case even in downtown Portland and Seattle.

  • Portland, Oregon, is forecast to reach low triple-digits on Saturday through at least Monday. The city is likely to break its June heat record, its record for most 100-degree days in June, and surpass its all-time high of 107°F, perhaps by a few degrees.

  • In Seattle, where the average high temperature this time of year is in the low-to-mid 70s, the National Weather Service (NWS) predicts a high of 102°F on Sunday, which would break the record for the city's hottest temperature during the month of June.

  • Seattle's all-time high temperature record is 103°F, and the city has only seen three 100-degree days in its history.

  • Medford, Oregon and Spokane, Washington, are also predicted to shatter their all-time high temperature record by a few degrees.

  • The heat will be most intense in inland areas of Washington and Oregon. There, temperatures are forecast to soar to between 100°F and 115°F on Saturday through Tuesday, and remain extremely hot through much of next week.

  • Nearly every location along the I-5 corridor from Northern California to Washington is likely to set a monthly or even an all-time high temperature record during this event.

How it works: One of the reasons why the Pacific Northwest will get so hot is that the core of the heat dome will be parked to the north-northeast of the region for several days.

  • Due to the clockwise flow of air around the high, this will produce surges of air moving from high-to-lower elevation areas in Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

  • When air sinks, such as when it moves out of mountainous regions and into valleys, it compresses, increasing temperatures and getting drier in the process

.

More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting

Recommended Stories

  • The Pacific Northwest’s Upcoming Heat Wave Could Be Especially Deadly

    Extreme heat has killed more than 11,000 people across the US since 1979, and heat waves are only getting worse.View Entire Post ›

  • Seattle, Portland gearing up for hottest weather ever recorded

    A heat wave is bringing unprecedented high temperatures to the Pacific Northwest — a region of the country typically cooled by the ocean, rather than central air conditioning. The heat will begin Friday and last into early next week. Why it matters: The heat wave will shatter monthly and all-time temperature records in the Pacific Northwest. Some of the records could break the old milestones by several degrees. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Sub

  • 113 degrees forecast in Portland as 'life-threatening' heat looms

    The Pacific Northwest on Friday was bracing for what is expected to be a historic and "life-threatening" heat wave, the likes of which -- in terms of high temperatures and duration -- has never been experienced before in that part of the country. AccuWeather forecasters are calling for record-shattering heat to envelop the region through the weekend, not only making life miserable for a part of the country where air conditioning is not prevalent but also posing a significant health risk to milli

  • Fact check: Melted traffic lights, recycling bins, street signs were not caused by heat waves

    Following a heat wave in Arizona, images posted on social media falsely claimed to show traffic signals and other objects that had melted.

  • As U.S. troops draw down in Afghanistan, ongoing Taliban offensive takes ground from Afghan forces

    Charlie D'Agata returns to Kabul as the U.S. withdrawal is underway. President Biden is looking to present a sense of partnership with the country his troops are leaving when he hosts President Ghani at the White House as Afghan forces continue to lose ground to the Taliban.

  • At least 3 dead, 99 unaccounted for after Florida condo building collapse

    Officials expect the death toll to rise as the search and rescue effort continues in Surfside, Florida.

  • Seattle will be hotter than Miami this weekend: Northwest cities brace for 100-degree heat

    The normally mild Pacific Northwest is facing a potentially historic, record-breaking heat wave as temperatures near or surpass 100 degrees.

  • Record Heat to Scorch Seattle, Then Spread Across Western U.S.

    (Bloomberg) -- Temperature records are likely to be smashed across the Pacific Northwest, with Seattle and Portland posting their hottest June days in history, and the heat spreading to the Rocky Mountains and California threatens fresh strains on regional power and water supplies.Seattle on Sunday could reach 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius), tying its all-time hottest reading and breaking the 96-degree mark for its warmest June day, said Bob Oravec, a senior branch forecaster at the U.S. We

  • CA superintendent answers questions about mandatory COVID vaccines

    San Francisco Unified School District told ABC7 they're discussing the possibility of mandatory vaccines for staff. So far, SFUSD says 3,800 staff members, which is almost 40% of the district staff, have voluntarily confirmed they're vaccinated.

  • 4 Levels of Veggie Burgers: Amateur To Food Scientist

    Presented by Lightlife™ | We challenged chefs of three different skill levels - amateur Stephen, home cook Gabrielle, and professional chef and cookbook author Louisa Shafia - to make us their best veggie burger. Once each of them had completed their meatless masterpiece, we asked food scientist Rose to explain the choices they made along the way - both good and bad. Which of these veggie burgers would you choose as a healthful alternative?

  • This New 160-Foot Superyacht Concept Is Like a Floating Sculpture on the Water

    Just call it the "David" of the seas.

  • 120-year record in jeopardy as Moscow sizzles under rare, historic heat wave

    A blistering heat wave that has been enveloping eastern Europe nudged its way into western Russia this week, challenging Moscow records that have stood for more than a century and forcing the city to face heat rarely felt in this region of the world. On Tuesday, parts of Moscow reached 94.5 degrees F (34.7 degrees C), according to an official reading by the Russian weather service Roshydromet, which ties the all-time June record set in 1901. Preliminary temperature reports show the Russian capit

  • Drought Indicators in Western U.S. Flash Warnings of the ‘Big One’

    (Bloomberg) -- Sarah Brunner opened the irrigation spigots on her farm in March, three months early. The rain should have still been falling in California. Now that summer is taking hold, she and her husband are considering shifting their meager water supplies into pastures so their animals will have enough to eat.Brunner’s worries don’t stop at the barnyard. The family’s fields of shallots, garlic and goats are surrounded by thick Northern California forests, dried out and primed to burn. An ea

  • ‘Something Off’: Miami Collapse Complex Had Issues

    Joe Raedle/GettyThe Miami-area apartment building that crashed to the ground in a horrifying early-morning collapse Thursday had been experiencing “issues” for years, and it was even the subject of a scientific study last year that warned of it sinking into the earth.The Champlain Towers complex in Surfside, Florida, was the subject of at least one lawsuit over the maintenance of the structure’s outer walls. In addition, the building attracted the attention of scientists alarmed over flooding an

  • ‘The water is coming’: Florida Keys faces stark reality as seas rise

    Officials prepare to elevate streets despite financial shortfalls, amid recognition that not every home can be saved The neighborhood of Stillwright Point in Key Largo, Florida. Photograph: Saul Martinez/The Guardian Long famed for its spectacular fishing, sprawling coral reefs and literary residents such as Ernest Hemingway, the Florida Keys is now acknowledging a previously unthinkable reality: it faces being overwhelmed by the rising seas and not every home can be saved. Following a grueling

  • Hailstone sets a Texas record, but one that may have been larger went into margaritas

    Texas has a new hailstone record. Was an even bigger one used in margaritas?

  • Farmers install toilets to keep badly behaved walkers off their land

    Farmers forced to install toilets and conduct social media campaigns to teach people how to use the countryside have cautioned against government plans to open up more public access on farmland. Payments will be available for farmers in national parks and areas of natural beauty to open up or improve public footpaths under new plans announced by the Government this week. But Sue Pritchard, the chief executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, said there first needed to be a “natio

  • Land around the Florida condo that collapsed was showing signs of sinking, according to a 2020 study

    Florida International University professor Shimon Wdowinski said the land subsidence in the 90s alone is not likely to be the cause of the accident.

  • Florida diver praised after spearing record lionfish

    A Florida diver set two records recently by spearing and removing a large lionfish from the Gulf of Mexico.

  • Here we go again. ‘Significant weather advisory’ warns of more high winds in Boise area

    The National Weather Service issued the advisory a few minutes before 7 p.m. on Wednesday.