An intense heat wave gripping the Pacific U.S. Northwest drove temperatures to record-breaking highs several days in a row.
Meteorologists forecast temperatures surging more than 30 degrees above average across Oregon. Officials opened cooling shelters for residents without air conditioning to escape the “life-threatening heat.”
But temperatures in Portland shattered records day after day. Saturday, Oregon’s largest city reached 108 degrees by early afternoon, a modest uptick from the previous record of 107. By Sunday, a new record of 112 degrees was set. Monday, the new record was once again broken by a record-shattering 115 degrees.
The heat melted rubber overheard streetcar power cables in Portland forcing days of shutdown public transportation.
Interstate-5 and several state highways around Everson, Washington were closed after the heat caused the asphalt roadways to buckle. The state DOT set up detours for drivers.
Salem, Washington recorded 112 on Sunday, its highest temperature ever. Seattle reached 104, which officials also said was an all-time record for the rainy city. Since 1894, Seattle has never seen two consecutive triple-digit days.
Canadian cities sweltered to the north with cities recording 116 and 117 degree days this weekend. Farther south, the heat hampered firefighting efforts in California and helped fuel already burning wildfires.
A dome of high pressure in the atmosphere above the Northwest U.S. and parts of Canada caused the extreme heat on the ground.
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The National Weather Service said the hot wave would linger through the rest of the week, but isolated thunderstorms are expected Wednesday through Friday across Northern California and the Cascades.
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