Deaths听surge in US and Canada from worst heat听wave on record
痴础狈颁翱鲍痴贰搁/笔翱搁罢尝础狈顿听鈥听A heat听wave that smashed all-time high temperature records in western Canada and the US Northwest has left a rising death toll in its wake as officials brace for more sizzling weather and the threat of wildfires.听
The worst of the heat had passed by Wednesday, but the state of Oregon reported 63 deaths linked to the heatwave. Multnomah County, which includes Portland, reported 45 of those deaths since Friday, with the county Medical Examiner citing hyperthermia as the preliminary cause.听
By comparison all of Oregon had only 12 deaths from hyperthermia from 2017 to 2019, the statement said. Across the state, hospitals reported a surge of hundreds of visits in recent days due to heat-related illness, the Oregon Health Authority said.听
In British Columbia, at least 486 sudden deaths were reported over five days, nearly three times the usual number that would occur in the province over that period, the B.C. Coroners Service said Wednesday.听
鈥淭his was a true health crisis that has underscored how deadly an extreme heat wave can be,鈥澨齅ultnomah County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines said in the statement.听鈥淎s our summers continue to get warmer, I suspect we will face this kind of event again.鈥听
The heat dome, a weather phenomenon trapping heat and blocking other weather systems from moving in, weakened as it moved east, but was still intense enough to set records from Alberta to Manitoba, said David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, a government agency.听
鈥淚n some of these places, their (temperature) records are being annihilated,鈥澨齅r.听Phillips said.听鈥淚t really is spectacular, unprecedented for us.鈥听
It was unclear what triggered the dome, but climate change looks to be a contributor, given the heatwave’s duration and extremes,听Mr.听Phillips said.听
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paused to remember the dead during remarks in Ottawa on Wednesday and expressed concern over the fire threat.听
鈥淲e’ve been seeing more and more of this type of extreme weather event in the past years,鈥澨齅r.听Trudeau said.听鈥淪o realistically, we know that this heatwave won’t be the last.鈥听
In Washington, US President Joseph R.听Biden. Jr.,听said climate change was driving听鈥渁 dangerous confluence of extreme heat and prolonged drought,鈥澨齱arning that the United States was behind in preparing for what could be a record number of听forest听fires this year.听
SMASHING RECORDS
Lytton, a town in central British Columbia, this week broke Canada鈥檚 all-time hottest temperature record three times. It stands at 49.6 degrees Celsius听as of Tuesday. The previous high in Canada, known for brutally cold winters, was 45掳C, set in Saskatchewan in 1937.听
In the US Northwest, temperatures in Washington and Oregon soared well above 38掳C over the weekend. Portland set all-time highs several days in a row including 47掳C on Sunday.听
In Washington state, where media also reported a surge in heat-related hospitalizations, Chelan County east of Seattle topped out at 48掳C听on Tuesday.听
Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency due to听鈥渋mminent threat of wildfires鈥澨齱hile the US National Weather Service in Portland issued a red-flag warning for parts of the state, saying wind conditions could spread fire quickly.听
The Portland Fire Department banned use of fireworks for the Fourth of July weekend, when Americans celebrate Independence Day.听
FIRE AND MELTING ICE POSE RISKS
Most of Alberta and large parts of British Columbia and Saskatchewan are at extreme risk of wildfires, according to Natural Resources Canada’s fire weather map.听
鈥淎ll the ingredients are there. It’s a powder keg just looking for a spark,鈥澨齭aid Mike Flannigan, professor of wildland fire at University of Alberta.听
But the Chilcotin region, roughly 600 km north of Vancouver, was on flood warning due to the听鈥渦nprecedented鈥澨齛mount of snow melting at听鈥渆xtraordinary鈥澨齬ates, according to a government release.听
鈥淭hese are the types of issues that are going to be confronted more and more over the next few years,鈥澨齭aid Adam Rysanek, assistant professor of environmental systems at the University of British Columbia.听鈥听Moira Warburton and Sergio Olmos/Reuters听
