Northwest America’s heat wave causes hundreds of fatalities

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Canadian and US authorities have blamed the soaring temperatures for the hundreds of fatalities registered between last Friday and Wednesday.
• Meteorologists blamed the heatwave due to the building of high pressure over the Northwest that was furthered by the climate change.
• Environment Canada advised that the hot weather will continue to persist this week.

Local authorities in Canada, Oregon and Washington announced on Wednesday that they are probing the hundreds of deceased residents likely caused by the extreme heat temperatures which surpassed all-time records.

According to Lisa Lapointe, British Columbia’s chief coroner, there were at least 486 “sudden and unexpected deaths” from last Friday to Wednesday, which was unusual. She noted that during a five-day duration, fatalities would normally reach up to 165 individuals.

“While it is too early to say with certainty how many of these deaths are heat related, it is believed likely that the significant increase in deaths reported is attributable to the extreme weather,” she said in a statement.

In Vancouver, many residents do not have air conditioning in their households. This situation becomes a problem when they are under a hot climate.

“Vancouver has never experienced heat like this, and sadly dozens of people are dying because of it,” Vancouver police Sgt. Steve Addison said in a statement.

In Oregon, medical authorities have attributed over 60 fatalities due to the heatwave. About 45 of those deaths came from Multnomah, the state’s biggest county, which was reported since Friday when the temperatures began to soar.

The Multnomah County medical examiner attributed the 45 deaths to hyperthermia, a condition caused by an abnormally high body temperature. The county argued that between 2017 and 2019, the state only recorded over 12 hyperthermia cases.

Meanwhile in Washington state, at least 20 deceased were recorded that was also connected to the rising temperatures.

Meteorologists explained that the heat wave emanated from a high pressure from the Northwest, and was combined with the climate change caused by humans. This phenomenon has developed into extremely hot weather.

In many cities such as Seattle and Portland, temperatures exceeded all-time heat records, measuring more than 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit).

By Wednesday, some areas in western Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia had recorded fair temperatures, but some regions still endured high temperatures brought about by the movement of the weather system to the intermountain West and the Plains.

In a statement, Environment Canada announced that US states such as Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana as well as Canadian regions like Saskatchewan and southern Alberta will have to endure a “prolonged, dangerous, and historic heat wave that will persist through this week.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his distress over the blazing weather.

“The temperatures recorded this week are unprecedented — lives have been lost and the risk of wildfires is at a dangerously high level,” he said.

Source: ABC News