Oregon heatwave sees hundreds sent to hospital as US and Canada face record temperatures

Portland has seen temperatures soar to record high of 112F (44C) as heatwave hits Pacific Northwest

People rest at the Oregon Convention Center cooling station in Oregon, Portland on June 28, 2021, as a heatwave moves over much of the United States (AFP via Getty Images)

A “life-threatening” Northwest heatwave affecting parts of the US and Canada has reportedly seen as many as 200 people in Oregon sent to hospital with heat-related illnesses since Friday.

On Sunday, temperatures soared to an all-time record high of 112F (44C) in Portland, Oregon’s largest city.

According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, hospitals saw around half the number of patients with heat-related illnesses they would typically see in an entire summer over this past weekend alone.

The broadcaster said Multnomah County’s EMS received a record 410 calls for service on Sunday alone, with the county’s health officer, Jennifer Vines warning people to take the heatwave for the “serious health threat that this is”.

“This is life-threatening heat,” she has said of the soaring temperatures.

The heatwave has also been linked to recent deaths, with two homeless men found dead over the weekend at an encampment in Bend believed to have potentially succumbed to the heat.

Oregon is not alone in seeing record-breaking temperatures, with parts across northwestern US and Canada enduring record-breaking temperatures in recent days, forcing schools and coronavirus testing centres to shut down, while cooling stations have opened up to provide residents with relief from the heat.

In the US, the National Weather Service has issued heat warnings for much of Washington and parts of California and Idaho as well, in addition to Oregon.

The weather service has urged people to stay safe and out of the heat as much as possible in the midst of temperatures so high they have caused train wires to melt and roads to crack in some areas.

The high temperatures have also brought delays to Olympic qualifying events in Eugene, Oregon, not far from Portland.

Meanwhile in Canada, Lytton, a village in British Columbia, became the first place in the country to record a temperature over 113F (45C) on Sunday, with temperatures reaching 116F (46C), according to The Washington Post.

However, that national record was quickly broken the following day, with temperatures surging to just over 118F (47C) on Monday.

Environment Canada, the country’s government department coordinating environmental policies and programmes, has warned that the “dangerous” heatwave is expected to continue to affect British Columbia until Wednesday, with northwestern parts expected to get some relief sooner.

The department said an exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure over the province would continue to bring record-breaking temperatures until then.

It warned that the heatwave would increase the possibility of heat-related illnesses, in addition to raising river levels due to glacier melt and increasing the risk of wildfires due to drought conditions.