Seattle, Portland reached record highs in the middle of the Northwest – Orange County Register

Sarah Klein and Rebecca Boon | Associated press

Portland, Oregon – Supply workers and wildlife managers in the northwest Pacific sent people and animals on Saturday as historic heat waves scorched the area, breaking records and sending residents to help. I tried to keep it safe.

Stores were sold out portable air conditioners and fans, hospitals canceled outdoor vaccination clinics, cities opened refrigeration centers, baseball teams said or increased weekend games and prepared utilities in the event of a power outage. ..

Seattle reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) by mid-Saturday afternoon, making it the hottest June day ever, with the National Meteorological Service finding that cities with moderate temperatures typically exceed 100 degrees Celsius. This is the fourth time in history.

Portland, Oregon also had the hottest day in June, hitting 39.4 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. Other cities and towns, from eastern Washington to Portland and southern Oregon, should also break records, with temperatures expected to be up to 30 degrees higher than normal in many areas.

This is a dangerous prediction for areas used to warm climates and many without air conditioning.

James Bryant, who lives in Seattle, picked up the air conditioning in anticipation of the heat wave.

“My house is already hot, so in the next few days it got hotter and I had kids. You also had to keep it from getting too hot, ”said Bryant. “It’s like a trend … so I don’t know what’s driving it, but it’s not fun, that’s for sure.”

Due to the hot climate, berry farmers struggled to harvest their crops before their vines rot, and fishery managers worked to protect the critically endangered sockeye salmon from warm river water.

Officials in Multnomah County, Oregon have been looking for volunteers to help their staff cool off as the elderly and homeless residents suffer from the heat. Cascades Street Outreach, an advocacy group for people affected by homelessness, went to homeless camps in the area to encourage people to use cooling centers.

Peter Tissot, who works with the Multnomah County’s Joint Homeless Service Bureau, told The Oregonian / OregonLive.com that the Oregon Convention Center can accommodate about 300 people, but no one will leave the refrigerated shelter. He said the shelter also allowed pets.

“I don’t want anyone to make a dangerous decision to leave my pet behind,” he said.

In many parts of the region, unusually hot weather was expected by next week.

Fisheries managers in the Columbia River Basin are concerned about the effects of heat waves on the critically endangered Snake River sockeye salmon and other protected salmon species.

State, tribal and federal officials are trying to mitigate rising water temperatures downstream of the Snake River, in part by releasing 5.56 ° C of water from Idaho’s Dwarshak Reservoir, Lewiston Tribune reports. Have. Earlier this week, they began draining water in hopes of keeping the temperature of the lower granite dam on the Snake River below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Fahrenheit). Authorities fear 2015 will repeat itself when water temperatures in Columbia and Snake Reservoirs hit lethal levels for sockeye salmon.

In east Washington, berry farmer Jason Morell said the sun dries strawberries so quickly that if they aren’t picked quickly, they can rot. Morel, owner of Walters Fruit Ranch near Spokane, told KREM television that it usually takes farmers about three weeks to harvest strawberries. Spokane is projected to hit 109 ° F (42.78 ° C) on Monday and it will only take a few days to complete.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has lifted the COVID-19 capacity limit for public or operated nonprofit refrigeration centers in the face of the heat. Capacity is currently limited to 50% until the state fully reopens next Wednesday. In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown has suspended capacity limits for cinemas, shopping malls (air-conditioned locations) and swimming pools before the entire state reopens on Wednesday.

In Seattle, several new city guards were trained at the last minute on the beaches of Lake Washington. Case Berrysmith has been leading lifeguards for 15 years. This is the hottest track he has ever seen.

“Most rescue workers will overestimate their skills,” said Berrysmith. “Good luck. Keep drinking.”

The USA Track & Field expected to catch up on the heat wave expected last weekend in Eugene, Oregon, to avoid peak heat. I pushed you.

About 3,000 people took part in the Ironman race in Kodarlane, Idaho, on Sunday when temperatures hit the record 101 ° F (38 ° C). Triathlons include a 2.4 mile (3.9 km) swim, 112 mile (180 km) bike ride, and marathons.

Professor Kristie Ebi of the University of Washington, who studies global warming and its public health effects, said the “heat dome” in the northwest Pacific is the future as climate change changes weather patterns around the world. It was a taste.

“We know from evidence around the world that climate change increases the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves and we will have to get used to them in the future,” she said.

___

Reporting from Boise, Boise was contributed by AP correspondents in Idaho, Gillian Fracus in Portland, Manuel Valdés in Seattle, and Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington. Klein is a corps member of the Associated Press / US Capitol News Initiative’s Report Report. Report for America is a not-for-profit national service program that brings journalists to the local newsroom to cover unreported issues.