Record High Temperatures in Over 80 Years... Unprecedented Heatwave in the US Northwest and Canada

Olympic Athlete Selection Also Delayed

A citizen is cooling off at a public swimming pool in Portland, Oregon, USA.
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The northwestern United States and Canada are suffering from an unusual heatwave. From Washington and Oregon, where air conditioning was unnecessary even in summer, to British Columbia in Canada, home to ski resorts, temperatures have soared above 40 degrees Celsius.

According to the Associated Press and others on the 27th (local time), Portland, Oregon, reached 43.3 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature in over 80 years. Salem, Oregon, also broke its record with a temperature of 44.4 degrees Celsius.

Seattle, Washington, recorded 38.9 degrees Celsius the previous day, marking the second highest temperature ever. In Canada’s British Columbia, which borders the northwestern United States, Lytton recorded 46.1 degrees Celsius, setting a new all-time high.

Due to the unusual heatwave, air conditioners and fans sold out in major cities of the northwestern United States. Seattle opened additional public libraries equipped with air conditioning and provided cooling shelters for residents.

The Seattle Parks Department closed swimming pools in the southern part of the city as the pool floor temperatures became dangerously hot, and the Seattle light rail began operating at reduced speeds considering track abnormalities caused by the heatwave.

The intense heat also delayed Olympic athlete selections. In Eugene, Oregon, an athletics competition for Olympic qualifiers was held, but when the track surface temperature soared to 42.2 degrees Celsius, the organizers declared a suspension of the event and evacuated the spectators.

COVID-19 related quarantine measures were temporarily eased. Hospitals in major northwestern cities stopped administering COVID-19 vaccines, and Washington and Oregon increased the capacity limits of air-conditioned public facilities.

Canada’s Environment Ministry issued heat warnings for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and other central western provinces as temperatures in major cities, including the ski resort town of Whistler, exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.

This heatwave was caused by a heat dome?a high-pressure system that traps hot air like a hemispherical roof?centered in the western United States extending northward into Canada. The jet stream in the upper atmosphere weakened, pushing the heat dome further north.

The Washington Post (WP) explained, "The intensity of this heat dome is statistically very rare, occurring once in thousands of years," and added, "Human-induced climate change has increased the likelihood of such exceptional events."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.