Historic heat wave to bake Northwest

Now it’s the Northwest’s turn to sizzle.

After brutal heat waves in the Southwest and the East, folks in northern California and western portions of Oregon and Washington will see blistering, potentially record-breaking heat this week.

The Northwest’s heat wave “may end up being the most notable event of the entire summer,” AccuWeather meteorologist Elliot Abrams said. The intense heat will threaten people’s health and could cause power blackouts and exacerbate wildfires.

Portland is expected to flirt with its all-time record high temperature of 107 degrees on Wednesday, AccuWeather said. If the city hits 108 degrees, it would be the hottest day in Portland since records began in January 1874, during the Grant administration, about 52,000 days ago.

The Weather Channel is forecasting a high of 109 degrees Thursday in Portland. Heat warnings are in effect in Seattle and Portland through Friday.

It’s even too hot to sell ice cream, one Portland vendor told KGW. “When it gets too hot, the cone starts to drip, and people would rather hide inside,” Scoop Ice Cream owner Sean Sitton said with a laugh. When he saw the forecast, he decided to close Wednesday and Thursday.

What often makes the heat more intolerable in cities such as Portland and Seattle is the lack of air conditioning.

“My biggest surprise today was seeing some unsold fans in my local supermarket,” Seattle-based meteorologist Cliff Mass said on his blog. “I bet they will be gone in two days.”