Temperatures soared on Sunday to an all-time high of 112 degrees Fahrenheit in Oregon’s largest city as a record heat wave blistered the Pacific Northwest, sparking a run on ice and air-conditioners, while forcing many restaurants and bars to close.
Multnomah County, encompassing the city of Portland, opened 11 emergency “cooling shelters”, most of them in public libraries, where residents without air conditioning could escape the sweltering heat. Multnomah County, encompassing the city of Portland, opened 11 emergency “cooling shelters”, most of them in public libraries, where residents without air conditioning could escape the sweltering heat. “This is life-threatening heat,” county health officer Jennifer Vines said in a statement. Governor Kate Brown eased COVID-19 crowd restrictions for theaters, swimming pools and shopping malls ahead of the heat wave. Pools proved a popular choice for many seeking to cool off on Sunday, as did some public fountains. The National Weather Service forecast high temperatures climbing to more than 30 degrees above normal in parts of Oregon and Washington state, a typically temperate region where many homes and businesses have long gone without air conditioning.
The extreme heat was attributed to a dome of atmospheric high pressure over the upper U.S. Northwest and Canada, similar to conditions that punished California and southwestern states a week earlier. Excessive-heat warnings were posted across Oregon and Washington, stretching into parts of Idaho, California and Nevada.
