We don’t do a lot of weather coverage at HotAir but in this case maybe it’s appropriate because hot air is what is punishing the Pacific Northwest with record heat this week. We’re not talking about ordinary summer heat or a degree above normal, this heat is caused by a large heat dome which is topping all historical records in cities like Portland and Seattle by several degrees. In fact, those cities in the northwest are actually topping the highs that have ever been recorded in almost any city in the United States included places like Dallas and Atlanta.

Portland, Oregon, soared to a searing 116 degrees Monday, hotter than it has ever been in cities such as Dallas, New Orleans and downtown Los Angeles. In fact, when it comes to major U.S. cities, only Phoenix and Las Vegas have been hotter…

More than 35 cities tied or set records, with many areas soaring an unprecedented 30 to 40 degrees above average. The record in Seattle was smashed by 5 degrees, hitting 108, and the record high in Portland was also shattered, soaring to a sizzling 116 degrees, 8 degrees higher than the old record.

The heat was so excessive that Portland streetcar power cables melted and the pavement buckled.

Here’s an image of the streetcar power cable:

In case you're wondering why we're canceling service for the day, here's what the heat is doing to our power cables. pic.twitter.com/EqbKUgCJ3K

— Portland Streetcar (@PDXStreetcar) June 27, 2021

Portland announced yesterday that all 4th of July fireworks were banned because of the fire danger:

On Monday, officials from Portland Fire & Rescue announced a city-wide ban on all fireworks. Fire Chief Sara Boone said she recognized the impacts the ban would have, both on people hoping to celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July holiday and those who make a living selling fireworks, but she said the benefits outweigh the risks after months of drought and the recent heat wave.

While those were the highest temperatures ever recorded in major cities like Portland there are still some relatively uninhabited areas that have seen temperatures like this before in Oregon or Washington. But not so in Lytton, British Columbia, just north of the border. On Monday, Lytton set a record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada and those temps appear to have had deadly consequences for some people:

Lytton, a village in British Columbia, became the first place in Canada to record a temperature above 113 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, with the thermometer hitting 116 degrees.

But that national record did not last for long. On Monday, according to government weather agency Environment Canada, Lytton saw temperatures soar to just above 118 degrees on Monday…

In Burnaby, neighboring Vancouver in British Columbia, local law enforcement announced Tuesday that they had responded to more than 25 “sudden death” calls in 24 hours.

Though the causes of death were still being investigated, police said that many of the victims were elderly and that the heat was suspected to be a contributing factor.

Most people in Canada don’t have air conditioning because it’s so rarely needed. This local news report notes that people have been packing into air conditioned hotels to escape the heat at home. The heat dome is expected to start breaking up later this week bringing some relief for Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

Update: The NY Times published this graphic showing what the heat has been like for the last three days in Portland (three red dots) compared to the usual seasonal variation over the past 42 years: