PORTLAND: The cities of Portland and Salem in Oregon, and Seattle, Washington state, set new temperature records on Monday as the US Pacific north-west baked under a heatwave that has shut down much of daily life for residents.

In Salem, Oregon’s state capitol, temperatures reached 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47.2 degrees Celsius), the hottest since record-keeping began in the 1890s.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport set an all-time high temperature of 106 Fahrenheit, breaking the record set one day earlier.

Portland’s airport temperature reached 115 on Monday, breaking the all-time high for the third day in a row. Before setting a record of 112 on Sunday and 108 on Saturday, the previous mark of 107 had not been reached since 1981, the weather service said.

“To put it in perspective, today (Monday) will likely go down in history as the hottest day ever recorded for places such as Seattle and Portland,” the weather service said, predicting the heatwave could begin to ease this week.

The heat has been attributed to a dome of atmospheric high pressure over the upper US north-west and Canada, similar to conditions that punished California and south-western states earlier this month.

Portland, known for rainy weather and sparse sunshine, was especially ill-prepared to handle the high temperatures. Stores sold out of air conditioning units and ice was hard to find.

Bars and restaurants closed because kitchen vents could not keep up with the rising temperatures, creating dangerous conditions for cooks.

‘Shutting down our life’

“It’s completely shutting down our life; my kids are stuck inside,” said Jake Edgar, 30, a chef at a Portland restaurant.

Multnomah county, which includes Portland, opened 11 emergency “cooling shelters”, most of them in public libraries, where people without air conditioning could escape the sweltering heat.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2021