The heat wave in the USA is not ending. In addition to the northwest, parts of Canada and now regions on the east coast are also affected. The situation is threatening.
Portland – The heat wave in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and parts of Canada is becoming increasingly threatening. In the meantime, however, a parallel heat wave has broken out on the other side of the country, on the east coast. On Tuesday (June 29th, 2021), according to nbcnews.com, there was an official heat warning for twelve million Americans in the western United States and another for the northeast. This affects about 44 million citizens and applies to the entire area between the US states of Maine and Delaware. Including the major cities of New York City, Boston and Philadelphia.
How unprecedented the current heat wave in the USA is also shown by the fact that new temperature records were set in a total of 35 cities on Monday (June 28th, 2021). In some regions this was the case for the third day in a row. In Portland, the largest city in the US state of Oregon, the thermometers showed a new all-time high of 46.67 degrees Celsius. In Seattle, Washington, 42 degrees Celsius were also measured. With that, the records from the weekend have already been equalized. In some places, even sidewalks and paved roads couldn’t withstand the heat and began to bulge. Trams stopped running in Portland because power cables melted.
Extreme heat wave in the USA: Thousands of people without electricity
The problem of record heat is also exacerbated by the fact that the Pacific Northwest of the USA is actually not known for such conditions. Usually June is cool and rainy there. The average temperature in June in Seattle (Washington) is around 21 degrees Celsius. Therefore, more than half of the residents in the region do not have air conditioning. The lucky ones who have one make extensive use of it. Others use fans. The heat wave is therefore also taking on unimagined proportions for the local energy suppliers, because according to the authorities, energy consumption has skyrocketed in many places. The result: Overloaded supply networks and power outages.
In Spokane, more than 8,000 of the city’s 220,000 residents were without electricity on Monday, NBC News reported. According to the utility, further power outages are to be expected in view of the ongoing heat wave in the northwest of the USA. A maximum temperature of 43.3 degrees Celsius is predicted for Spokane in the coming days. “This is the beginning of a permanent emergency. We have to address the cause, “said Washington Governor Jay Inslee, blaming man-made climate change for the extreme heat wave.
According to scientist Zeke Hausfather from the Berkeley Earth temperature data project, the average temperature in the Pacific Northwest has increased by around 1.7 degrees over the past 50 years. The current heat wave in the USA is extreme anyway, but the additional heat is causing problems for older people and people with previous illnesses, reports weather.com.
Heat wave in Northwest USA and Canada: “Serious health threat”
And so the heat in the USA, which has now lasted for several days, continues to take its toll. In the state of Oregon alone, the emergency rooms have reported more than 200 people who have been admitted with heat-related illnesses since the heat wave began last Friday (June 25, 2021). That comes from data from the Oregon Health Authority. Two dead were found in a homeless camp in the city of Bend. They probably also died in connection with the enormous heat. An autopsy should now provide information.
“My main message is to consider this a serious health threat,” warned Dr. Multnomah County Health Officer Jennifer Vines, Oregon, about the current extreme temperatures in the US Because of the enormous heat, more than 400 emergency calls were received in the district on Sunday alone, and 260 people were treated in the hospital as a result. In addition to the record temperatures during the day, the unusually hot nights are also dangerous. So people have no break from the heat. Vines explains that this is dangerous to health so early in the summer when the body has not yet got used to the warmer conditions.
Heat wave in the US and Canada: reports of deaths are mounting
The heat wave has not only got a grip on the USA, but also parts of Canada. In the city of Lytton in the Canadian province of British Columbia, a national heat record for Canada was even set at 47.78 degrees. In addition, there is a particularly high level of humidity, which makes temperatures feel a little hotter. More than 230 deaths have been reported in the province since Friday. “Exposure to ambient heat can lead to serious or fatal consequences, especially for the elderly, infants and young children as well as the chronically ill,” said a statement from the BC Coroners Service, the province’s forensic medicine.
Compared to the news channel CNN, chief doctor Lisa Lapointe spoke of an “unprecedented time”. The heat in the United States and Canada has resulted in a significant increase in reported deaths. Heat illnesses are suspected to be the cause. “The number will increase as the data continues to be updated,” said Lapointe.
At least in the immediate vicinity of the coast, the situation could at least relax a little on Wednesday (30.06.2021). But the breeze from the Pacific does not penetrate far into the interior of the USA and Canada. According to current forecasts by the US weather services, the extreme heat there is expected to continue until the weekend. (Yannick Little)
