Oregon declares state of emergency as another ‘extreme heatwave’ looms

Pacific north-west prepares for triple-digit temperatures just months after heat resulted in hundreds of deaths in region

The Oregon governor declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as the region prepared for triple-digit temperatures mere weeks after a deadly heatwave clobbered the Pacific north-west.

Kate Brown said: “Oregon is facing yet another extreme heatwave, and it is critical that every level of government has the resources they need to help keep Oregonians safe and healthy.”

The declaration took effect at midday on Tuesday amid concerns over the safety of residents, some of whom do not have air conditioning, and the impact the soaring temperatures could have on critical infrastructure. The order is expected to remain in place until 20 August.

Brown recommended Oregon residents take proactive steps to keep cool, including staying well hydrated; visiting one of the dozens of cooling centers at libraries, community centers and other spaces across the state; and keeping tabs on neighbors, friends and family.

The heatwave comes less than two months after record-high temperatures, which in some areas exceeded 115F (46C), resulted in hundreds of deaths across the Pacific north-west and western Canada. Meteorologists reported that the extreme temperatures came from two pressure systems, while a study from World Weather Attribution determined that the heatwave would have been “virtually impossible without human-caused climate change”.

This week’s heatwave is also the result of a high-pressure system forming over the north-east Pacific. But the temperatures are expected to be more intense and impactful as a direct result of the climate crisis, explained Larry O’Neill, Oregon’s state climatologist.

Although these temperatures won’t be as high as they were in late June, in some places they could hit close to August records or even all-time records, he said.

And the fact that temperatures in some areas are expected to climb into the triple digits for the second time this summer is also significant.

“This would be kind of a heatwave that maybe we experience every two to three years in the past, but this will be the second strong one this summer,” said O’Neill.

The National Weather Service instituted an excessive heat warning across western Oregon on Tuesday. In Portland, temperatures could hit 103F on Thursday, while Salem is expected to reach 103F on Thursday and Friday, said O’Neill.

O’Neill said: “Each consecutive day that we have over 100-degree weather is when the impacts really compound and we start to see more and more adverse impacts on public health and also on agricultural livestock production, things like that.”

Portland’s mayor, Ted Wheeler, also declared a state of emergency on Tuesday due to the extreme heat. It will go into effect Wednesday.

Washington state is also expected to see extremely high temperatures, with an excessive heat warning across much of the eastern half of the state. The city of Yakima could see triple digits four days straight beginning on Wednesday, according to the NWS. Seattle is expected to be slightly cooler, with temperatures in the low or mid-90s.

Jon Bonk, a meteorologist at the NWS in Portland, said the noteworthy aspect was that, similar to the heatwave in late June, temperatures in many areas of the region were not expected to cool significantly at night. The Willamette Valley and the Portland metropolitan area, for example, typically see their temperatures cool to the 50s or lower 60s this time of year, but they may not get below 70F later this week.

He said: “The folks that are used to receiving relief at night just by opening their windows, like, say, if they don’t have air conditioning, they’re not getting quite that same relief that they’d ordinarily expect.”

11 August 2021

The Guardian