Oregon's largest city has broken its all-time heat record on Saturday, and it could beat the new mark on Sunday.
Forecasters say many Pacific Northwest communities may sweat through the hottest days in their histories as temperatures soar during a heatwave that has sent residents scrambling for relief.
Stores sold out of portable air conditioners and fans, hospitals cancelled outdoor vaccination clinics, cities opened cooling centres, baseball teams cancelled or moved up weekend games, and utilities braced for possible power outages.
Portland, Oregon, reached 42.2C on Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The previous heat record for Oregon's largest city was 41.7C, a mark hit in 1965 and 1981.
Seattle reached 38.3C on Saturday, making it the hottest June day on record and only the fourth time in recorded history the usually temperate city had topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
The forecast was for even hotter temperatures on Sunday and Monday. Many all-time heat records could be broken. In Seattle, the highest temperature ever measured was 39.4C in 2009.
Other cities and towns from eastern Washington state to Portland to southern Oregon were also expected to break records, with temperatures in many areas likely to top out 30 degrees or more above normal.
That's dangerous for a region accustomed to mild weather, and where many don't have air conditioning.
The extended "heat dome" over the Pacific Northwest was a taste of the future as climate change reshapes weather patterns worldwide, said Kristie Ebi, a professor at the University of Washington who studies global warming and its effects on public health.
"We know from evidence around the world that climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves. We're going to have to get used to this going forward," she said.
James Bryant, a Seattle resident, picked up an air conditioner in anticipation of the extreme heat.
"My house is already hot, and so with the added heat over the next few days, I've got kids. I got to make sure they don't get too hot as well," Bryant said. "It seems to be a trend ... So I'm not sure what's driving it, but it's not fun, that's for sure."
Unusually hot weather was expected to extend into next week for much of the region.
Australian Associated Press
