NASA is dubbing the current heatwave in the Pacific Northwest as “exceptional, historic, and dangerous.”
They presented a map that shows land surface temperatures last Friday in Washington around noon. Temperatures in the Yakima Valley reached a record 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and the worst is still yet to come.
Another map showed air temperature anomalies across the U.S. and Canada last Sunday. This is when heat grew and historic records started to fall.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey is dubbing the heatwave as “incredible.” He says that the Pacific Northwest are normally temperate areas, but conditions have almost gotten out of control in recent days.
According to Rippey, “Before this heatwave, the all-time record, with records going back well over 100 years, had been 107, so that busted the old record by 9 degrees Fahrenheit-- an incredible margin... Salem, Oregon, 117 degrees. Even into western Washington, we saw Olympia hitting 110 degrees, breaking an old-time record by 6 degrees.”
The U.S. drought monitor backs up those concerns.
It shows unprecedented heat in the northwest, combined with another week of dry weather, which led to worsening drought conditions across the region.
Related:
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Some California producers are considering selling water
USDA meteorologist on “mega drought”