Record heat wave continues in Seattle, Portland

[samanthajane13]

By RYAN KOST, Associated Press Writer Ryan Kost, Associated Press Writer – Wed Jul 29, 3:27 am ET

PORTLAND, Ore. – "Brutal" temperatures are predicted for the Seattle area on Wednesday as a record heat wave afflicting the Pacific Northwest continues to bake everything west of the Cascades, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.

The high temperature could easily tie or break the all-time record temperature of 100 degrees set July 20, 1994, at Sea-Tac, the weather service's Jay Albrecht said.

"There's not going to be a whole lot of places to get away from the heat tomorrow," he said Tuesday.

Another day of high heat for the normally temperate region follows a Tuesday that saw the thermometer hit 106 at Portland International Airport, just short of the 107 all-time mark for the area set in 1981.

"The thing about a place like Portland is there are some buildings and residences that don't have air conditioning," said Andy Bryant, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. "You go to Phoenix or Dallas, yes it would be very hot there, too, but they have more of a system in place to deal with it."

A Home Depot in Portland had to order up air conditioners from one of its stores on the cooler Oregon coast to restock for the week. The units arrived Tuesday morning only to sell out three hours later, Home Depot employee Cliff Baker said.

"Fans are even getting hard to find," he said.

Shaved ice was also in high demand, said Matthew Ho, owner of Portland's Ohana Hawaiian Cafe. Normally the cafe sells about 20 a day, but lately it's at least double that, he said.

"We actually have a friend from Hawaii who pretty much just flew in to run the shaved ice machine," he said.

Temperatures pushed up to 108 Tuesday in Medford in southern Oregon, and the 93 degrees in Hoquiam on Grays Harbor in Washington state crushed the old record of 81 degrees that dated back to 1965.

Even some normally cool spots on the coast were hotter than normal, with Astoria, Ore., at the mouth of the Columbia River reaching 92, busting the city's old record of 82 set in 2003.

Cooling centers for the elderly were open late in Portland, and the city of Seattle extended hours for the International Fountain, where hundreds of people soaked in sprays that were timed to move along with recorded music.

In Washougal, Wash., the fire department opened up an air-conditioned training room to help cool folks off, and set up a shower in a city park during the afternoon.

Relief was in sight, however, as temperatures were expected to begin dropping into the 90s by Thursday in areas where the high has been over 100, said Miles Higa, a weather service meteorologist in Portland.

In eastern Washington, temperatures around Spokane are forecast in the 90s for the rest of the week, which is a little above normal. More worrisome is a forecast for thunderstorms that could produce lightning that ignites wildfires.

Heat advisories were issued throughout the region. In Portland, where residents are used to temperate summer days that come with overcast mornings and crisp evenings, the warning is in effect until 10 p.m. Wednesday.

___

Associated Press Writers George Tibbits in Seattle and Nick Geranios in Spokane, Wash. contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090729/ap_on_re_us/us_northwest_heat

[samanthajane13]

Seattle breaks temp record as heat wave continues
By PHUONG LE and RYAN KOST, Associated Press Writers Phuong Le And Ryan Kost, Associated Press Writers – 55 mins ago

SEATTLE – Northwesterners more accustomed to rain and cooler climate sought refuge from a heat wave Wednesday, as Seattle recorded the hottest temperature in its history and Portland fell just 1 degree short of its own record-breaker.

The National Weather Service in Seattle recorded 103 degrees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, breaking a previous record of 100 degrees, set in downtown Seattle in 1941 and repeated at the airport in 1994.

Jay Albrecht, a Seattle meteorologist with the service, said it's the hottest it has been in Seattle since records dating to 1891.

In Oregon, heat records were set in cities across the western half of the state, with Portland topping out at 106 degrees, breaking the old record of 100 for the day but falling 1 degree shy of its all-time record of 107. Portland most recently hit the 107 mark in 1981.

Oregon weather data goes back to the 1850s, although meteorologist Charles Dalton said the 107-degree mark, recorded at the Portland airport, reflects records kept at that site since 1941.

Meteorologist Doug McDonnal in Seattle said the stretch of hot weather has lasted longer than usual. Wednesday was the fifth consecutive day above 85 degrees for Seattle, he said.

Throughout the region, shade, icy treats, ice-cold water, air conditioning units and fans were in high demand.

Geno Garcia, 40, a Boeing machinist, headed straight for Sears in Seattle early Wednesday when the family's air-conditioning unit broke down.

"We could have lived without it, but it would have been uncomfortable," he said, as he stood in line with about 100 others who bought air conditioners.

Garcia said his family plans to keep cool by hunkering down in the one bedroom that's air-conditioned. They've already moved their TV, games and other necessities into that room, and have been eating meals there.

Darren Wilson, 38, a concrete finisher from Puyallup, Wash., started his Seattle street paving job at 5:30 a.m., three hours earlier than usual, to beat the heat.

"I'm drinking lots of water," he said. "When I get off work, I'm going to my buddy's house and jump in his pool."

Portlanders were trying to stay cool every which way. Public fountains were clogged with children. Libraries swelled with people trying to stay out of the sun. And cooling centers for seniors were open late.

Shirley Markstaller, 71, parked herself in front of a fan and read the morning paper at a cooling center in downtown Portland.

She doesn't have an air conditioner at home, so she's been coming to the center every day for the past week or so. "I just thought, 'Where's the coolest place?'" she said.

The weather throughout Oregon's Willamette Valley was roasting.

The temperature climbed to 106 at the Oregon capital in Salem, and Eugene hit 105, beating a record 101 for the calendar day in both cities. In southern Oregon, Medford inched past its record of 108 to reach 109 on Wednesday. Dalton said that too was a record for the day. The previous records for all those cities were from 2003.

An excessive heat warning was in effect for much of western Washington through Friday, but meteorologists in both states said forecasts called for gradual cooling.

In Olympia, a group of visitors were hoping to cool off at the popular Heritage Park Fountain, but were disappointed to find that the water had been turned off for regular weekly maintenance.

"We were expecting it to be working," said Lucina Hernandez, 24, of Barcelona, Venezuela. "This is very bad."

At the Tails-A-Wagging doggie day care in Bellingham, Wash., owner Angi Lenz and her staff kept dogs comfortable with special cooling fans, air conditioning, ice toys and water slides. "We have a waiting list to get in this week because of the heat," Lenz said.

Bellingham hit 96, an all-time record, breaking the old mark of 94, set in 1960. Records there date back to the 1930s.

Not everyone was avoiding the outdoors. Enes Parker, manager of the Lacey Senior Center, said she found indoor air conditioning too cold. Lacey is in Washington, near Olympia.

"I'm one of the few who like the heat," Parker said. "I go outside every so often to warm up. I love the heat. It's always too cold here."

____

Associated Press Writer Rachel La Corte contributed to this report from Olympia, Wash. Ryan Kost contributed from Portland, Ore.


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[samanthajane13]

Northwest dries out in record triple-digit heat
By PHUONG LE and RYAN KOST, Associated Press Writers Phuong Le And Ryan Kost, Associated Press Writers – Thu Jul 30, 3:51 am ET

SEATTLE – Forecasters are offering the hope of slightly cooler temperatures to Northwest residents after Seattle recorded the hottest day in its history and Portland fell just 1 degree short of its own record-breaker.

The National Weather Service in Seattle recorded 103 degrees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, breaking a previous record of 100 degrees, set in downtown Seattle in 1941 and repeated at the airport in 1994.

Jay Albrecht, a Seattle meteorologist with the service, said it's the hottest it has been in Seattle since records dating to 1891.

In Oregon, heat records were set in cities across the western half of the state, with Portland topping out at 106 degrees, breaking the old record of 100 for the day but falling 1 degree shy of its all-time record of 107. Portland most recently hit the 107 mark in 1981.

Oregon weather data goes back to the 1850s, although meteorologist Charles Dalton said the 107-degree mark, recorded at the Portland airport, reflects records kept at that site since 1941.

"We'll see just a little bit of cooling" Thursday, said meteorologist Ted Buehner in Seattle, with temperatures dropping back to the upper 80s on Friday. "We're finally starting to see some marine air easing onto the coastline."

The unseasonable heat led to some bizarre complications.

While most of Washington was bone dry, thunderstorms rolling through the Cascade Mountains and foothills dumped as much as 2 inches of rain per hour on scattered spots in the western half of the state, prompting the weather service to issue flash flood warnings.

Sweltering Seattle residents were encouraged to cool off in libraries, except for five that lacked air conditioning and were closed Wednesday when internal temperatures reached 90 degrees.

Washington state Ecology Department spokesman Larry Altose said his agency had received several reports of dead fish floating in Lake Washington, which separates Seattle from its eastside suburbs. That, too, was due to effects of the hot weather, he said.

In a region where air conditioning is often a rare luxury at home, Portland residents have gotten creative in dealing with the hot summer nights. Paul Lychako and his partner, Kris Sievert, set up an air mattress in their backyard. For 30 summers, he's resisted machine-cooled air.

"I've lived in Southern California, Miami — always managed before," he told The Oregonian. The glitch came Tuesday night when Lychako tumbled down concrete steps leading to the basement, breaking his left arm and striking his head.

On Wednesday, with the arm in a cast, the couple and a friend headed off to snag an air conditioner — fresh off the truck at a Home Depot.

In Seattle, Geno Garcia, 40, a Boeing machinist, headed straight for Sears early Wednesday when his family's air-conditioning unit broke down.

"We could have lived without it, but it would have been uncomfortable," he said, as he stood in line with about 100 others who bought air conditioners.

Garcia said his family plans to keep cool by hunkering down in the one bedroom with air-conditioning. They've already moved their TV, games and necessities into that room and have been eating meals there.

Darren Wilson, 38, a concrete finisher from Puyallup, Wash., started his Seattle street paving job at 5:30 a.m., three hours earlier than usual, to beat the heat.

"I'm drinking lots of water," he said.

Shirley Markstaller, 71, parked herself in front of a fan and read the morning paper at a cooling center in downtown Portland. "I just thought, 'Where's the coolest place?'" she said.

In Oregon's Willamette Valley, the thermometer hit 106 at the capital in Salem, and Eugene hit 105, shattering a record 101 for the calendar day in both cities. In southern Oregon, Medford inched past its record of 108 to reach 109 on Wednesday. The previous records for all those cities were from 2003.

At the Tails-A-Wagging doggie day care in Bellingham, Wash., owner Angi Lenz and her staff kept dogs comfortable with special cooling fans, air conditioning, ice toys and water slides. "We have a waiting list to get in this week because of the heat," Lenz said.

Bellingham hit 96, an all-time record, on Wednesday, breaking the old mark of 94, set in 1960. Records there date back to the 1930s.

Not everyone was avoiding the outdoors. Enes Parker, manager of the Lacey Senior Center, said she found indoor air conditioning too cold. Lacey is in Washington, near Olympia.

"I'm one of the few who like the heat," Parker said. "I go outside every so often to warm up. I love the heat. It's always too cold here."

____

Kost contributed from Portland, Ore. Associated Press Writer Rachel La Corte contributed to this report from Olympia, Wash.


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