InterpNEWS
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Unprecedented heat wave in Pacific Northwest starts roasting the region Andrew Freedman June 25, 2021
The most severe heat wave on record in the Pacific Northwest and southwestern Canada kicks into high gear Friday and will intensify throughout the weekend and into next week. Why it matters: Heat waves like this one are significant public health threats, particularly in areas like the Northwest, where many people lack air conditioning. Extreme heat tends to be the biggest weather-related killer each year in the U.S., outranking even tornadoes and hurricanes. Numerous daily, monthly and all-time high temperature records will be shattered. More than 13 million residents from Northern California through much of Oregon and Washington, and eastward to Idaho are under excessive heat warnings. The big picture: Extreme heat events are directly tied to human-caused global warming, with studies showing that severe heat events are now on average about 3°F to 5°F hotter than they would be without emissions of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel burning, deforestation and other activities. Some recent studies have shown that certain extreme heat events could not have occurred without the added boost from human-caused warming. What they're saying: NWS forecasters in Seattle said Friday they “have never seen Pacific Northwest data like this.”The National Weather Service, which is typically cautious in its word choices with the public, is not holding back in its messaging this time around. The agency's forecast office in Portland, for example, issued a forecast discussion Friday morning stating, "...UNPRECEDENTED HEAT WAVE EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK..." Agency social media accounts have also been relaying hot weather safety tips and directing people to cooling shelters. Driving the news: A highly unusual weather pattern is setting up over the Pacific Northwest, with a recordstrong high-pressure area aloft — known as a "heat dome" — settling over the region and intensifying through Monday. Such a heat dome, if it reaches the strength that computer models are projecting, would yield temperature departures from average of between 25 and 45°F across multiple states and British Columbia.
