Environment

Another Major Heat Wave Is Bringing Triple-Digit Temps To The Pacific Northwest

1:05pm August 13, 2021

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. Kathryn Elsesser / AFP via Getty Images

Excessive heat warnings are up across the Pacific Northwest as communities brace for the second major heat wave of the summer in the region.

As OPB reports, triple-digit temperatures are unusual in cities like Portland, Ore., which has opened several emergency cooling centers.

But high-country towns like Pendleton, Ore., where it's expected to reach 105 degrees, are more prepared for extreme heat — because they've prepared for extreme cold:

Police Chief Charles Byram says their winter warming station has been turned into a summer cooling center.

And locals are building small dams in the Umatilla River to create pools for the community to cool off.

"There's one particular spot where there's a little falls, where a pool builds up a little bit," he adds. "We also have a waterpark and we're just completing a splash-pad area in a park as well."

The Forest Service is also warning that air quality is likely to deteriorate as wildfires continue to burn.

More resources for folks in the Pacific Northwest from OPB ⤵