The massive heat wave forecast to oppress the Pacific Northwest and southwestern Canada this weekend will be extreme and historic, among other superlatives, a growing consensus among meteorologists warns. Climate change, caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, makes heatwaves worse and more frequent, and the heatwave expected to roast the Northwest will be extreme in both intensity and duration. Temperatures of 15-30°F above average could stifle the region for as much as a week, held in place by a high pressure ‘heat dome.’ Extreme heat and heatwaves kill as many as 5,600 people living in the U.S. every year, and are often worst in historically redlined neighborhoods. (U.S. PNW: Washington Post $, Buzzfeed, AP, Vox, CNN, Axios; Canada: Yale Climate Connections; Climate Signals background: June 2021 PNW heatwave)
