The record-smashing temperatures in the Pacific Northwest last year were an extraordinarily rare occurrence even in the age of climate change
The extreme heat that obliterated temperature records in the Pacific Northwest in 2021 will likely occur just once every 10,000 years.
It eclipsed previous highs by hitting 116 degrees Fahrenheit in Portland, Ore.; 107 F in Seattle; and 121 F in Lytton, British Columbia. All three readings set all-time records . Hundreds of people died in the oppressive heat, which can shut down human organs and exacerbate underlying conditions. A wildfire destroyed Lytton shortly after the heat wave.
“Mostly what we see is that this was an extreme event that happened in the climate system,” McKinnon said. But 30 degrees above normal for June “was more in the realm of bad luck rather than something that we are expecting to see a lot of due to climate change.”