US Pacific Northwest prepares for more brutal heat

Sunrise Center is set up as a cooling station when a heat wave hits the Pacific Northwest in Portland, Oregon, USA on July 30, 2021. REUTERS / Elayna Yussen

PORTLAND, Oregon, Aug. 10 (Reuters) – Temperatures rose in the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday as residents of Portland, Oregon and Washington state prepared for a third punishing heat wave of the summer.

The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings for Portland and Medford, Oregon, much of the Columbia River Gorge and Willamette Valley, and the Vancouver, Washington area.

“Extreme heat will greatly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, especially for those who work or participate in outdoor activities,” the weather service said in a statement.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the sweltering heat and the city opened cold stores to residents without air conditioning.

Power grids could be tested, especially on the hottest days, expected to come Thursday and Friday, as a high pressure dome builds up over the Pacific Northwest.

The same atmospheric conditions were blamed for a July heat wave that scorched much of the western United States and fueled a series of forest fires that burned much of the summer.

The Dixie Fire, burning in Northern California, charred about 500,000 acres, making it the second largest wildfire in the state’s history. Three people were injured in the fire.

Reporting by Sergio Olmos in Portland and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Sam Holmes

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