Weather

Pacific Northwest roasts in hottest temperatures on record

​​​A heat dome has enveloped the Pacific Northwest, trapping much of Washington and Oregon in oppressively hot and downright dangerous temperatures since the end of last week. This is over an area of the country where many homes have no air conditioning.


What You Need To Know

  • Highs in Portland, Ore. reached 108 and 112 degrees, respectively, this past Saturday and Sunday
  • The old record was 107, set in 1965 and again in 1981
  • Cooling centers aren’t able to handle the massive crowds
  • In the Pacific Northwest, only 33 to 44% of homes have air conditioning

Heat dome

Simply put, a heat dome is a strong ridge of high pressure that traps warm air underneath it. While the Pacific Northwest has seen this many times before, at no point in recorded history have temperatures soared this high or have been so dangerous.

Generally, temperatures began to be recorded in the Portland, Ore. area around 1940.

Shattering records

Up until this year, Portland’s all-time record high temperature was 107 degrees, recorded in 1965 and 1981.​ This past Saturday, the official high at Portland International Airport reached 108 degrees – remember, that reading is taken in the shade. If that wasn’t excessive enough, Sunday’s high soared past that to a sweltering 112 degrees.

A family orders ice cream at a food truck on Friday, June, 25, 2021, in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Sara Cline)

And how’s this for a crazy comparison: Sunday’s high of 112 was warmer than many cities in the Middle East, including Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, which recorded a high of 109 degrees. Keep in mind that out there, the average high this time of year is 105 degrees. Portland? Well, in the Pacific Northwest, late-June highs average between 75 and 78 degrees.

Coping with the heat

I spoke to Liz Luda, morning radio host on 105.1 The Buzz, who moved to Portland from Memphis, Tenn., a much warmer and more humid city, about what it’s like dealing with the heat. She says, like many Portlanders, only one room in her house has air conditioning. She and her family have spent the last couple of days huddled in that room, watching movies and trying to stay cool.

Only 44% of homes in the Portland area have air conditioning. In Seattle, also under extreme, record-breaking heat, that number is 33%. Cooling centers are open, but the number of people needing some relief from the heat is so great, hours are limited.

Waiting for relief

The heat is so intense, that the National Park Service is warning hikers about fast-melting snow near Mt. Rainier in Washington, where Excessive Heat Warnings blanket the entire state.

While the heat will decrease into the 90s and upper 80s for Portland, Seattle and the West Coast by Tuesday, areas farther inland may experience triple-digit temperatures all the way through the middle to end of this week.

People flock to Bloedel Donovan Park at Lake Whatcom in Bellingham, Wash., during an uncharacteristic Pacific Northwest heat wave Sunday, June 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Lisa Baumann)

This massive ridge of high pressure will eventually break down further by the end of the week, but most areas aren’t out of the woods yet. As of Monday, the outlook for the next five to seven days includes high temperatures still topping out at 10-15 degrees above average.



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