It's going to be very, very hot in the Pacific Northwest today

The Pacific Northwest is going to scorch today
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Late Show With Stephen Colbert)

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for Thursday and Friday along much of the West Coast, from Seattle down to central California.

For better and worse, Portland won't be so hazy, with temperatures expected to hit 107 degrees, matching the hottest temperature ever recorded in the city (three times: Aug. 8 and 10, 1981 and July 30, 1965). The mercury in Portland hit 103 on Wednesday, while nearby towns hit record highs, like McMinnville's 106 degrees. Temperatures of 107 may not seem outrageous to residents of the Southwest, but the Northwest wasn't built with such scorchers in mind — only a third of Seattle homes have air conditioning, for example, as CNN notes in the video below.

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Heatwaves like this may become more common. By 2100, three-fourths of people on Earth may be hit with 20 or more days of deadly heat a year, up from 1 in 3 people currently, according to a recent article in the journal Nature Climate Change. So the Pacific Northwest may have to invest in A/C, someday. But for now, they at least have ample water. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.