Heat waves have hit the Pacific Northwest this summer and are suspected of causing at least 16 deaths in Oregon alone, the Guardian reported. The actual number of heat-related deaths might be higher since experts say heat-related deaths are undercounted, as USA Today has noted.

What's happening?

The Pacific Northwest has not been immune to the intense heat that has scorched various portions of the United States this summer. "We are looking at the potential for breaking more records," said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, lead meteorologist at Portland's National Weather Service Office, per the Guardian. 

Her comment about an early July heat wave was prescient since the heat wave that impacted Portland broke records. Oregon's most populous city experienced extreme heat lasting several days, including the Fourth of July weekend. 

Portland set a record for the warmest overnight low temperature on July 7 when the temperature only dipped to 65 degrees — and it set similar records on July 8 and 9, with 67-degree lows each day, per local station KGW8. The high of 104 degrees on July 9 was the city's hottest since a 108-degree high last August.

More high heat continued to hit the Pacific Northwest in July. Interior portions of both Washington and Oregon were forecast to be in the major and extreme categories of HeatRisk — levels three and four out of four, respectively — during the third week of July.

Why are the Pacific Northwest's heat waves this year important?

Heat is the No. 1 weather-related cause of death in our country, as Scientific American has noted. Some health officials think the number of people killed is undercounted. Heat has a cumulative effect on health, as the toll it takes builds over time. In many instances, heat might not be the ultimate cause of death, but it can be a contributing factor.

A UCLA study found that heat increases risk of workplace injuries. "Heat affects your physiology,"  said Jisung Park, one of the study's authors. "It affects your cognition. … It seems possible that what we're observing in the data for these workers is that they're more likely to make mistakes or errors in judgment." Those errors can result in not just injury but also death.

Public health officials in Maricopa County, Arizona, share heat-related illness and death statistics. They estimated there were 645 people killed in the county in 2023 from heat-related causes. As of July 18, they had reported 23 confirmed heat-related deaths with more than 300 deaths still under investigation, as NBC News reported.

What's being done about record-breaking heat waves?

Since studies show that our warming world increases the frequency and intensity of deadly heat waves, anything we can do to reduce the amount of heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere will help lower the risk of heat to our health.

One way we can help is by using our purchasing power for good. This could mean donating money to help climate causes, supporting companies that are eco-friendly, or supporting eco-friendly travel destinations.

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