
Portland and Seattle see record highs soar past 100 degrees as heat wave sweeps the Northwest
[ad_1]
Seattle topped its all-time record high Sunday when thermometers climbed to 104 degrees — so hot that even the normally freezing temperatures above 10,000 feet on Mt. Rainier reached 73 degrees.
Portland set an all-time high of 112 degrees Sunday, but that record will likely be short lived as the forecast high Monday is 115. That would mark the third day in a row where the heat was above 107 degrees.
Temperatures are expected to remain scorching in the area until Tuesday. That is when highs are supposed to dip to 93 degrees, instead of the usual 75 at this time of year.
Lytton, British Columbia, now holds the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada after topping out at 116 degrees Sunday. It was hotter there than in Abu Dhabi.
Record keeping in these areas dates back to the late 1800s, meaning temperatures like these haven’t been seen in these regions for more than 100 years, said CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.
Olympic trials and streetcar services shut down
At Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, the United States Olympic track and field trials were suspended Sunday due to extreme heat.
Sunday was the last day of the ten-day of trials and the events were scheduled to resume at 11:30 p.m. EST.
Eugene set a new all-time high of 110 degrees Sunday, breaking the prior record of 108 degrees set on August 9, 1981.
In Portland, all Metropolitan Area Express Light Rail and Streetcar service has been suspended until Tuesday morning due to extreme heat, according to the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet).
A heat dome acts as an oven over the region
Hot air rises, but the high-pressure acts as an atmospheric lid — forcing the hot air back to the surface where it is heated even further.
The circulations within the heat dome allow temperatures to increase quickly and within a fairly confined region.
Rural eastern Oregon and Washington will feel the heat wave through the Fourth of July weekend, and eastern Idaho will also swelter.
“According to the CDC, over 600 people die each year from heat. It can happen to you,” NWS Boise warns.
CNN’s Hannah Gard and Haley Brink contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link