Intense. Prolonged. Record-breaking. Unprecedented. Abnormal. Dangerous.
That’s how the National Weather Service described the historic heat wave that is hitting the Pacific Northwest, pushing daytime temperatures into the triple digits and breaking all-time high temperature records in places where many residents don’t have air conditioning.
Portland, Oregon, hit 111 degrees just before 3 p.m. Sunday, breaking the all-time temperature record of 108 degrees, set just a day earlier. The forecast calls for another 112-degree day on Monday.
Action at the U.S. track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, was suspended and fans were evacuated from Hayward Field early on Sunday afternoon as the temperature reached 108 degrees.
The final day of the trials was scheduled to resume at 8:30 p.m. with the men’s long jump, and racing was to resume at 9 p.m. with the women’s 400-meter hurdles and men’s 200 meters.
As of 4 p.m. Sunday, the following temperatures were recorded around the region: Seattle, 100; Olympia, Washington, 102; Wenatchee, Washington, 106; Eugene, Oregon, 109; The Dalles, Oregon, 115.
The temperature was expected to rise to an all-time record of 104 at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday and surpass that to reach a blistering 111 on Monday, as the excessive heat warning continues for the region. King County closed several COVID-19 testing sites because of the heat. Seattle opened additional public library branches Sunday, and will again Monday, to provide additional cooling centers, The Seattle Times reported.
Raegan Sack, 4, cools off at Max Patterson Park during a record setting heat wave in Gladstone, Ore., Sunday, June 27, 2021. Yesterday set a record high for the day with more records expected today.
Craig Mitchelldyer / AP
The heat wave also moved into Idaho, where temperatures above 100 are forecast in Boise for at least seven days starting Monday. Ontario, Oregon — a city near the Idaho border — could see at least a week of triple-digit temperatures, including a high of 109 on Wednesday, forecasters said.
Cities were reminding residents where pools, splash pads and cooling centers were available and urging people to stay hydrated, check on their neighbors and avoid strenuous activities.
The National Weather Service in Coeur d’Alene said this week’s weather “will likely be one of the most extreme and prolonged heat waves in the recorded history of the Inland Northwest. Unprecedented heat will not only threaten the health of residents in the Inland Northwest but will make our region increasingly vulnerable to wildfires and intensify the impacts of our ongoing drought.”
The high temperatures were forecast to move into western Montana beginning Monday.