Across the country, extreme heat has been breaking records.
Spokane, Washington hit 109 degrees on Tuesday – the highest temperature ever recorded in that city.
The dangerous weather that gave Seattle and Portland consecutive days of record high temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, finally eased in those cities Tuesday.
But inland, Spokane saw temperatures spike. The unprecedented heat caused power cables to melt and forced rolling blackouts as demand for electricity spiked. About 9,300 customers lost power Monday.
“It feels like Armageddon,” said one woman. “It really does.”
Several roads have buckled under the scorching heat.
About a dozen deaths in Washington state and Oregon may be tied to the intense heat wave.
“We have never seen anything like this,” said Vince Hlavaty, a Bremerton medical officer.
In Oregon, a farm worker near Portland may have died from heat-related illness.
The state’s farm workers union is seeking protection for farm workers.
“We really feel like no worker should have to choose between their health and a paycheck,” said Reyna Lopez, director for the Oregon Migrant Workers Union.
North of the border, in British Columbia the heat has killed about 100 people.
In the Northeast, this is the second heat wave this month.
Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Boston have all declared emergencies.
City buses are being used as mobile cooling stations in some places.
Temperatures in New York City are expected to hit triple digits Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the effects of extreme heat are being felt around the globe. Parts of eastern Europe and Russia are also seeing record high temperatures with some places reaching triple digits.
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