Pacific Northwest heat advisory impacts 12 million people

More than 12 million people living in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. will be impacted by a heat advisory for the next couple of days. 

In a National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Prediction Center report, forecasters said that “above-normal temperatures are forecast to persist along the West Coast through the period while extending across the Intermountain West and into the Rockies early this week,” adding that daytime temperatures are expected to reach 10 to 20 degrees above normal on Monday and Tuesday. 

“While a weak area of low pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere may provide some relief and an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms, high temperatures may once again exceed their daily records for parts of the Pacific Northwest, including the Seattle and Portland metro regions, on Monday,” forecasters said in their notice. 

For instance, four locations in the Seattle region of the Pacific Northwest set temperature records over the weekend, with Quillayute reaching 90 degrees on Saturday, breaking a previous record set in 1975. 

The city of Sea Tac reached a record temperature of 86 degrees, going up one degree from the previous record set in 2018, the city of Olympia reached 89 degrees on Saturday, breaking its previous high-temperature record set in 1973, and the city of Hoquiam reached its highest temperature of 89 degrees on Saturday, also breaking its previous high-temperature record set in 1973. 

The city of Portland, Ore. recorded a high temperature of 93 degrees on Saturday, breaking its previous high-temperature record by one degree, set in 1973. 

Four other locations in Oregon and Washington either set or matched their temperature records on Saturday, according to the NWS data. 

The advisory comes as Portland officials urged local residents to seek cooler areas during the wave of high temperatures hitting the city, such as local libraries, community centers, and pools. City officials also advise residents to “Stock up on fans/air conditioners and sun-blocking curtains, sunscreen, and other summer essentials.” 

King County, the county where Seattle is located, announced that they plan to open several cooling centers throughout the area due to the record temperature.