Residents of the Pacific Northwest are staring down the region’s most intense heat wave in living memory. All-time high temperature records are at risk of falling across Washington and Oregon. Given the lack of air conditioning and limited acclimation to hot weather across this normally temperate region, this heat wave is a genuine emergency for folks who live in the affected areas.
The heat wave about to crest over the Pacific Northwest is nothing like summer in the rest of the United States—outside of the deserts, anyway. I’ve lived most of my life in the south. I’m sympathetic to the grueling heat and humidity we endure for almost half the year.
What we go through in the rest of the country every summer is nothing like what the Pacific Northwest is about to experience. Conditions over the next few days will more closely resemble summer in the Southwest than anything you’d ever expect to see in the Northwest.
The Northwest Isn’t Acclimated To Extreme Heat
Extreme weather is relative to the folks it affects. A half a foot of snow in Pensacola, Florida, would be a much more harrowing experience than the same blanket of snow in Boston, Massachusetts. For much the same reason, a high temperature above 100°F is a much bigger deal in Seattle, Washington, than a 100°F day would be in Dallas, Texas.
Even though southern summers are gross, folks who live down here get used to them after a while. People who live in the Northwest don’t have much experience with extreme heat, so this is going to be a shock to their systems.
It’s going to be especially rough on vulnerable populations such as the elderly, low-income families, those who work outdoors, and those who deal with health conditions that are made worse by extended exposure to extreme heat.
The Northwest Isn’t Covered By Air Conditioning
Even the hardiest veteran of the summer sun needs a break from the heat and occasionally ducks inside to enjoy a refreshing dose of air conditioning. Almost every home built in the United States east of the Rockies, save for old construction and homes in parts of New England, has access to central air conditioning or a window unit that can cool a room in a pinch.
They don’t have much of that in the Northwest. The majority of homes in the Seattle and Portland areas aren’t equipped with air conditioning because it just doesn’t get that hot there. They’ll have a few hot days every summer, but it cools off to a reasonable temperature at night and it’s manageable with fans and altered daytime activity.
This isn’t average summer heat. Portland, Oregon, could blow past its all-time high temperature of 107°F several times in the next couple of days, peaking with a predicted high temperature around 112°F on Sunday and Monday.
Even though the rest of the country is used to high heat indices due to a combination of heat and humidity, the actual air temperature in much of the Pacific Northwest will be higher than the highest summertime heat index in most other parts of the country. A heat index of 112°F is a newsworthy event in Georgia or South Carolina, let alone an actual air temperature climbing as high as folks in Washington and Oregon will see in the coming days.
The Northwest Isn’t Going To Get Relief At Night
It’s bad enough that it’s going to grow scorching hot during the day, but nighttime isn’t going to provide any relief for folks who can’t cool off during the day. Open windows and fans cranked to their highest setting won’t help much when nighttime low temperatures remain in the upper 70s or low 80s. Homes without air conditioning aren’t going to cool off much at night, and the heat will compound on itself day after day, leading to unbearable indoor temperatures in short order.
The Heat Could Cascade Into Other Issues
The effects of extreme temperatures don’t end with heat’s toll on your body. Increased demand during the day could lead to brownouts or full-fledged power outages. It’s never good when the power goes out, but it’s a huge problem during extreme heat. Not only will the lack of electricity cut off air conditioning, but food will spoil faster as refrigerators and freezers warm up. This scenario could also lead to an increased risk of house fires from the use of objects like candles and grills.
The wildfire threat will dramatically increase as well. Most of the western United States is already mired in one of its worst droughts in recent memory. This extreme heat event will dry out soils and vegetation even further, allowing fires to spark and spread even easier than before. The heat will make it tougher on fire crews scrambling to get a handle on any blazes that pop up, making matters even worse.
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