Heat wave to hit Pacific Northwest a year after deadly event

By CLAIRE RUSH
Associated Press/Report for America

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a major heat wave, with temperatures forecast to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) in some places this week as climate change fuels longer hot spells in a region where such events were historically uncommon. Local officials are on guard after last year’s “heat dome,” during which about 800 people died across Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Much of the U.S. saw above-average warmer temperatures in June, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It estimates that weather and climate disasters, including tornados and extreme drought, have cost at least $9 billion in damage across the nation so far this year.