Residents of the western U.S. are sweltering in a heat wave that’s already hospitalized some as temperatures will continue to hit dangerous levels throughout the weekend in Washington, Oregon, Southern California, Nevada and Arizona.
Around 1.2 million people were under extreme heat risk Saturday, meaning temperatures are expected to stay dangerously high with no relief overnight. The largest area under the warning is around Tucson, Arizona, where the National Weather Service forecast dangerous highs between 102 and 107 degrees Fahrenheit (39 and 42 degrees Celsius). Areas of inland Southern California also faced extreme risk.
Another 18.6 million are under major heat risk, affecting workers and anyone without regular cooling and hydration, including in Miami.
Portland, Oregon, reported a record high for Aug. 22, according to preliminary data. Struggling through the smothering heat were long-distance runners who were passing a baton in a relay race from inland Mt. Hood to the Pacific Coast.
At least one long-distance runner competing as part of a group of athletes over 50 years old in Portland’s annual “Hood to Coast” event lost consciousness and was hospitalized Friday after running 4 miles (6.4 kilometers).
David Loftus does not remember collapsing, but he said his companions told him it happened shortly after he passed his baton. “Some other stranger saw me wobbling and caught me before I left the ground,” Loftus said.
When he regained consciousness, he saw an ambulance there to pick him up. Loftus, a writer and amateur actor from Portland, said in a phone interview Saturday that he had hydrated and doused himself with water before his leg of the race, but it wasn’t enough. He was held for observation overnight at a hospital but has recovered.
The preliminary report of 102 degrees in Portland, if upheld, would break the 98-degree (36.7-degree Celsius) high for August 22, set in 1942, according to the NWS.
The inland Oregon city recorded a high of 116 degrees (46 Celsius) in June 2021. More than 100 people died in the surrounding area during that heat wave. The majority of the victims lived alone, and the vast majority were 60 or older, but the youngest was 37, officials said at the time.
