Some stores in the Pacific Northwest are selling out of portable air conditioners and fans as residents accustomed to mild summers brace for a heatwave that could bring triple-digit temperatures to major cities.
Seattle and Portland are poised for temperatures nearing or surpassing 100 degrees, and cities across the region are also expected to feel the burn of this sizzling heat, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski wrote.
The Dalles, Oregon, which has a population of approximately 16,000, could approach its all-time record of 112 degrees on Sunday and Spokane, Washington, could also make history with its slated slew of 100-degree temperatures.
“A dangerous heatwave is impacting the Pacific Northwest and into southern California,” the National Weather Service tweeted. “More than one hundred record high temperatures are forecast this weekend through Thursday.”
Limited access to air conditioning raises health concerns
Many Pacific Northwesterners don’t have consistent access to air conditioning: less than two-thirds of households in Oregon have air conditioning, according to Kaiser Permanente Northwest.
According to 2019 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, Seattle has the lowest rate of air-conditioned homes of any major American city. Only 44% of the homes in the metro area have air conditioning. In the Portland metro area, that figure was 79%.
