Story at a glance
- A heat dome over the Pacific Northwest is shattering heat records and officials are warning residents to take precautions.
- On Monday, Portland hit a high of 116 degrees, topping the previous all-time of 107.
- Heat was the leading cause of weather-related deaths from 1991 to 2020.
Several Pacific Northwest cities broke all-time heat records over the weekend and into Monday when Portland hit a high of 116 degrees. In Seattle, the temperature reached a high of 108. Previously, the all-time high for Portland was 107, according to The Washington Post.
The heat wave is the product of a large-scale heat dome, which occurs when “strong, high-pressure atmospheric conditions combine with influences from La Niña, creating vast areas of sweltering heat that gets trapped under the high-pressure ‘dome,’” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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Officials have warned residents to take precautions as heat was the leading cause of weather-related deaths from 1991 to 2020.
“Residents are urged to stay in air-conditioned buildings, avoid strenuous outdoor activities, drink plenty of water, and check on family members/neighbors,” meteorologists write.
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