Temperatures in Portland, Oregon, today could reach 100 degrees, likely making it the hottest day in a weeklong heatwave along the Pacific Northwest.
Temperatures in Seattle, Washington, are expected to reach the 90s this week with some parts of eastern Oregon and Washington having the potential to reach 110 degrees.
Vivek Shandas, professor of climate adaptation at Portland State University, told the Associated Press that having “five-day stretches or a weeklong stretch above 90 degrees is very, very rare for the Pacific Northwest.”
Excessive heat warnings were issued by the National Weather Service for parts of Washington until Friday evening and parts of Oregon until Thursday evening.
According to the Weather Channel, average temperatures in July for Seattle are around 75 degrees and 80 degrees for Portland.
In response to the deadly heat wave in the Northwest last summer, which led to 800 deaths, the Portland Housing Bureau will require new subsidized housing to have air conditioning, according to AP.
A new Oregon law will also require any new housing built after April 2024 to include at least one room with air conditioning. The law already prevents landlords from restricting tenants from installing cooling devices in most cases.
While this summer’s heatwave isn’t expected to be as extreme as last summer where temperatures in Portland reached 116 degrees, above average temperatures over multiple days is still cause for concern.
“It’s nothing we haven’t seen before in terms of the magnitude, but the duration of the event is fairly unusual,” John Bumgardner, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Portland, told the AP.
To help give residents relief from the temperatures, Portland will open cooling centers in public buildings and install misting stations in parks. Seattle will also provide cooling stations in community centers and libraries.
Additionally, Multnomah County, where Portland is located, is opening four emergency overnight cooling shelters and officials hope outreach efforts can help people who are at greatest risk to the heat.
A person floats in the Snake River under the Southway Bridge waiting for the boat ahead to start moving so they can surf in the boat’s wake on Monday evening, July 25, 2022, in Clarkston, Wash.
August Frank, Lewiston Tribune via Associated Press