Life-threatening heat in Oregon, Canada

It is warmer in parts of western Canada than in Dubai.

This was stated by David Phillips, a climate scientist at Environment Canada, in a TV interview since Leighton, British Columbia, broke the Canadian heat record with a measured temperature of 46.6 degrees. The highest temperature ever measured in Canada was 45 degrees in Saskatchewan in July 1937.

This weekend, more than 40 other local records were set around British Columbia, including at Whistler Ski Resort. But according to meteorologists, it is expected to be much warmer at the beginning of the week, and therefore some schools have been closed for safety reasons.

In the US, the NWS has issued warnings of a “dangerous heatwave” with above-normal temperatures in Washington and Oregon. Several heat records have already been broken in Oregon, including Portland (44.4 degrees), Eugene (43.3 degrees) and Salem (44.4 degrees) — but it could soon become history as the heat is expected to continue through Monday.

Multnomah County in Oregon is warning of “life-threatening” rising temperatures. Governor Kate Brown has eased pandemic restrictions on theaters, swimming pools and shopping malls. Many cities have also opened private rooms where people without air conditioning have the opportunity to cool off.

The NWS describes the heat wave as historic and affecting areas that are largely used to cooler and wetter climates.

Farmers are also pressured To harvest fruits and vegetables lest the heat destroy crops. The picking began at dawn and stopped at lunchtime, when the temperatures were too high for the workers to bear.

“We are traveling in absolutely unknown waters,” PJ Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherry Growers, told the Seattle Times.

The high temperatures are associated with what is described as a high-pressure “thermal dome” parked over the Pacific Northwest.

Extreme weather will become more common with climate change, according to experts — although it is difficult to link a single event to global warming.

Continuous heat wave Not just because of climate change, it’s being exacerbated by it, according to Nick Bond, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington.

– The main reason is a very unusual weather pattern, he tells AFP.

However, climate change is real, temperatures have risen here making this thermal event even more dangerous.