Extreme Heat's Deadly Toll
Scripps Howard Finalist: Los Angeles Times reporters detail the uneven and lethal impact of heat waves in poor California neighborhoods.
LEARN MOREMay 12, 2023
A heat wave in the Pacific Northwest over the weekend could set high temperature records for the season, and make wildfires burning in Canada harder to control.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Portland, Oregon, said the heat was "unusual" for this time of year, and had the potential to break records.
The agency issued heat advisories for parts of Washington and Oregon that will last through Monday. Temperatures in Portland could reach 94 degrees Fahrenheit, and could get into the low 90s in the Seattle area.
In Seattle, buses will run at no cost, and the city will open cooling centers to help its homeless population escape the weather. Officials in Oregon's Multnomah County, which includes Portland, said they would watch the forecast in case they needed to do the same.
The heat could also exacerbate wildfires in Alberta, Canada, which have been burning for days over about a million acres and forced the evacuations of some 24,000 people last week.
Stubborn heat waves set record highs in the Pacific Northwest in 2021 and in 2022.
Climate experts say changing conditions are causing the heat events to last longer. People who live in the region may be less acclimated to high temperatures and therefore more susceptible to heat illness and injury, which can make the events worse compared to warmer regions of the country.
