In those two cities, the intense weather that saw Seattle and Portland experience consecutive days of record-breaking temperatures exceeding 100 degrees (37.7 Celcius) is expected to end. However, inland Spokane was expected to surpass Monday’s record-breaking 105 Fahrenheit (40.6 Celsius).
Spokane’s utility customers lost power in some areas on Monday. Avista Utilities advised that there would be more blackouts Tuesday in the city of 220,000 residents. The high temperatures predicted for Monday are 110 F (43.3C), a new all-time record.
Heather Rosentrater (the company’s senior vice-president for energy delivery) said that Avista had anticipated a much higher demand than usual but reached its limit faster than expected because of the intense heat.
Other eastern Washington and Oregon communities could see temperatures of around 115°F (45.6 C) Tuesday, one day after Seattle and Portland broke all-time heat records.
On Monday night, Seattle reached 108 F (42 Celsius), well above Sunday’s record of 104 F (40 C). Portland, Oregon reached 116 F (46.6 C), after setting records at 108 F (42 C), Saturday, and 112 F(44 C) Sunday.
In a region known for its rainy season, the temperatures were unheard of. June was also known as “Juneuary” because of its cool drizzle. According to U.S. Census data, Seattle’s average June high temperature is 70 F (21.1 C). Less than half the residents have air conditioning.
Schools and businesses were forced to close on Monday because of the heat. This included outdoor pools and ice cream shops that offer relief from the heat. Mobile vaccination units and COVID-19 testing stations were also out of commission.
After the heat inside reached unbearable levels, Seattle Parks Department shut down one of its indoor community pools. Stanlie James, who moved from Arizona three weeks prior, had to find somewhere else to cool her off. She said that her condo doesn’t have AC.
James stated that “part of the reason why I moved here was to be near my child, but also because it offered me relief from the Arizona heat in the summer.” “And it seems that I brought it with me. “So I’m not really thrilled.”
The heat wave was caused by what meteorologists called a dome of highpressure over the Northwest. This is being exacerbated by human-caused global climate change which makes such extreme weather events more probable and more intense.
Zeke Hausfather is a scientist with Berkeley Earth’s climate-data nonprofit Berkeley Earth. He said that the Pacific Northwest has experienced a warming of about 3 degrees F (1.7 degree C) over the past 50 years.
This means that a heat wave is now about 3 degrees warmer then it was before. The difference between 111 and 114 is significant, particularly for vulnerable populations, he said.
Hausfather stated that even if there was no climate change, it would still have been an extremely severe heat wave. This is worse than what the same event would be 50 years ago and it’s notably worse.”
The region was exposed to the scorching heat, revealing its inability to withstand it. This is a hint at the future costs of climate change.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee stated this in an interview with MSNBC.
He said that we must address the root cause of the problem, which is climate changes.
Light rail and streetcar service in Portland were suspended Monday due to melting power cables and an increase in electricity demand.
Road pavements were subject to heat-related expansion, causing them to crack or pop off in many places, including on a Seattle highway. Tanker truck workers hosed down drawbridges twice daily with water to prevent steel expanding in heat and interfering in their opening and closing mechanisms.
Maria Cantwell, Democratic U.S. Senator, stated in a statement that the Northwest heat highlighted the urgent need for a federal infrastructure package to promote clean technology and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
She stated that Washington state was not designed for triple-digit temperatures.
