Heat Wave Breaks All-Time Temperature Records in Northwestern U.S., Western Canada

Yesterday, the temperature in Portland, Oregon reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit, the third day in a row on which the city broke its all-time temperature record (Sunday’s temperature was 112 F and Saturday’s was 108 F). Oregon’s capital city, Salem, also recorded the highest temperature in its history on Monday, 117 F, surpassing the record of 112 F that had been set the day before. In Seattle, Washington, the temperature hit 104 F on Sunday and then 106 F on Monday, both all-time records for the city. In Canada, Lytton, a village in British Columbia, became the first place in the nation to record a temperature above 113 F on Sunday, with the thermometer hitting 116 F. But that national record did not last for long. On Monday, Lytton saw temperatures soar to above 118 F. The high temperatures in the region have been blamed on a “heat dome,” a sprawling area of high pressure, now sitting over the northwestern U.S. and western Canada. The heat is expected to subside somewhat beginning today, although the rest of the week is predicted to remain sunny and warm with high temperatures in the low 90s or high 80s. Read more at NPR and the Washington Post.