4 suspected heat-related deaths reported in Oregon region

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in Oregon’s Multnomah County, where Portland is located, reported four suspected heat-related deaths Monday as the region continued to suffer from an early heat wave.

The county medical examiner is investigating at least three such deaths reported Friday and Sunday, officials said, adding that a fourth man, who had been flown in from outside the county, died Saturday at a Portland hospital of what is believed to be heat-related illness.

Authorities said it would take weeks or months for investigators to confirm the cause of death.

Oregon’s most populous city broke daily record temperatures on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and was on track to do so for a fourth day in a row on Monday, with a forecast high of 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 degrees Celsius), National Weather Service meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley said.

“We are exploring the potential to break further records,” she said.

The county has been operating three daytime cooling centers since Friday with the goal of helping people who are more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, such as those who live outdoors, the elderly, people with disabilities and people whose homes do not have air conditioning.

After the heat wave in the western United States over the weekend claimed numerous lives and broke records, the USA will be hit by another long-lasting heat wave on Monday. High temperatures are also forecast for large parts of the east coast and the south.

Dangerous temperatures caused the death of a motorcyclist in Death Valley.

The U.S. heat wave came as global temperatures hit a record high for the 13th consecutive month in June and the 12th month in a row that the Earth was 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial times, the European climate service Copernicus said.

An extreme heat warning, the National Weather Service’s highest level of alert, was in effect Monday for parts of states including California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Idaho, while heat advisories were in effect for parts of the East Coast and states including Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

Dozens of locations across the West and Pacific Northwest reached or exceeded previous heat records over the weekend.

On Saturday and Sunday, a maximum temperature of 53.3 degrees Celsius was measured in Death Valley National Park in eastern California. One visitor died there on Saturday as a result of excessive heat, and another person was hospitalized, authorities said.

The two visitors were part of a group of six motorcyclists who were riding through the Badwater Basin area in scorching hot weather, the park said in a statement.

The identity of the deceased person has not been determined. The other motorcyclist was taken to a Las Vegas hospital for “severe heat illness,” the statement said. The high temperatures prevented rescue helicopters from responding because the aircraft generally cannot fly safely in temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, officials said.

The other four members of the group were treated on site.

“While it is very exciting to experience potentially world-record temperatures in Death Valley, we advise visitors to choose their activities carefully and avoid spending extended periods of time outside of an air-conditioned vehicle or building during such high temperatures,” said park ranger Mike Reynolds.

Be careful in hot weather

Officials warned that heat illnesses and injuries are cumulative and can build up over the course of one or more days.

“In addition to not being able to cool down while riding due to the high ambient temperatures, experiencing Death Valley by motorcycle in this heat is another challenge as heavy safety equipment must be worn to reduce injuries in the event of an accident,” the park said in a statement.

On the other side of the Nevada desert, a new temperature record of 48.8 °C (120 °F) was set in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Triple-digit temperatures were common throughout Oregon, and several records were broken. In Salem, for example, temperatures reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, surpassing the 1960 record of 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2 degrees Celsius).

“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, avoid the sun and check on relatives and neighbors,” says a weather forecast for the Baltimore area. “Small children and pets should never be left unattended in the car under any circumstances.”

Heat records broken throughout the Southwest

Isolated heat warnings were even extended to higher elevations, for example around Lake Tahoe on the border between California and Nevada. The weather service in Reno, Nevada, warned of “significant heat risks, even in the mountains.”

“How hot is it? Well, highs across Nevada and northeast California won’t drop below 100 degrees Fahrenheit until next weekend,” the service wrote online. “And unfortunately, there won’t be much relief overnight, either.”

Even more extreme highs are forecast in the near future, including possibly 130 °F (54.4 °C) around midweek in Furnace Creek, California, in Death Valley. The highest temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was 134 °F (56.67 °C) in July 1913 in Death Valley, although some experts dispute that measurement and say the true record is 130 °F (54.4 °C) recorded there in July 2021.

Weber reported from Los Angeles. AP journalists Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, and Walter Berry in Phoenix contributed to this report.