Status: 06/30/2021 2:37 p.m.
A heat wave plagues the otherwise cool Northwest of the USA: The lack of air conditioning threatens overheating, the drought is putting the harvest in danger – and that’s just the beginning, fear meteorologists.
From Katharina Wilhelm,
ARD studio Los Angeles
“The last few days were really hell: 45 degrees!” Groans Kirsten Seyferth. The German lives not far from Portland in the US state of Oregon, in the northwest of the USA. It is usually cool and rainy there. But the region is currently experiencing an unprecedented heat wave from Portland up to Seattle – and Canada’s west is also affected.
In Canada alone, police said more than 25 reports of sudden deaths were received in a 24-hour period. Many elderly people were among the dead. 49.5 degrees Celsius have been measured in Canada, it has never been so hot there. Heat records were also reported in the northern US metropolis of Seattle in Washington State, for several days in a row.
People brought their pets to a cooling center in Oregon during the heat wave.
Image: AFP
“Climate change has dropped a heat bomb on the Pacific Northwest, we are not made for that,” said Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, the MSNBC news channel.
Power grid not designed for air conditioning
The problem: In contrast to states like California or Arizona, where people are more used to heat, many people in the northeastern United States do not have air conditioning. In the hot temperatures, for example, you can go to specially set up cooling centers, so-called “cooling stations”. If you have the money, you invest in a mobile air conditioning system. But the power grid is not designed for these loads, says Governor Inslee. As a result, there have already been power outages in parts of the state.
With the current phenomenon, which is called “heat bell” or “omega weather situation”, the high pressure literally holds the hot air in the atmosphere. This ensures hot temperatures for many days and nights, explains meteorologist Eric Boldt of the US weather and oceanography authority NOAA. Although this phenomenon is a single weather event, the results of climate research show that it is precisely these extreme weather events that are indicators of climate change: “We will have more droughts, more heat waves, extreme heat waves, and that is exactly what we are currently seeing.”
People in Portland, Oregon, use dry ice and ice packs to try to cool water during the heat wave.
Image: REUTERS
Drought puts California’s crops at risk
In California he was worried about the renewed drought. It rained too little this year and last. The result: rivers such as the Russian River, which flows through the wine-growing region of Sonoma County, are at an all-time low.
Agriculture, one of the most important economic pillars for California, is threatened: Grapes, lemons, oranges, almonds and walnuts are grown here. But without water, the harvests are in danger and the water reservoirs need to be replenished urgently in winter. In Washington State, the cherry harvest is already seriously endangered, says Governor Inslee, one is very dependent on the natural moisture here. It indicates a permanent state of emergency.
The drought has many consequences: The animal world is also suffering and in some cases is moving closer to people than many would like. There are increasing reports of rattlesnakes and bears seeking shelter from the heat in cities and settlements. “And it’s only June, it’s the beginning of summer,” warns meteorologist Eric Boldt. The effects of heat and drought could be devastating.
In California, the firefighters are already ready, they expect more forest fires early this year – also aided by the drought and heat waves.