It’s so hot in the Pacific Northwest that roads are buckling
It’s so hot in the Pacific Northwest that roads are buckling.
Asphalt and concrete roadways are expanding and cracking and even Interstate 5 has been impacted amid a heat wave that has sent temperatures soaring to dangerous levels.
“There have been several instances of road impacts across Western Washington today, including along I-5 at times,” the National Weather Service’s Seattle office wrote on Twitter. “Additional impacts likely tomorrow with another day of extreme heat. Remain vigilant on your commutes!”
A state trooper shared images on social media of a damaged highway near Everson, Washington, about 10 miles south of the Canada border.
“State Route 544 milepost 7 near Everson, Wa is currently closed,” read the message from the Washington State Patrol District 7. “The asphalt roadway is buckling and unsafe for travel. WSDOT is advised and detours are currently being set up.”
A concrete panel popped up on a northbound section of Interstate 5 near Interstate 405 in Tukwila, 12 miles south of Seattle, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The agency wrote on Twitter that heat equals expansion.
“Crews are removing the damaged panel and filling it back in,” WSDOT shared. “No estimated time for getting these lanes and ramp back open. Fortunately, not much of a backup at the moment.”
A historic heat wave is gripping the Pacific Northwest, pushing daytime temperatures into the triple digits, disrupting Olympic qualifying events and breaking all-time high temperature records in places unaccustomed to such extreme heat.
Portland, Oregon, reached 112 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, breaking the all-time temperature record of 108 Fahrenheit, which was set just a day earlier.
In Eugene, Oregon, the U.S. track and field trials were halted Sunday afternoon and fans were asked to evacuate the stadium due to extreme heat. The National Weather Service said it hit 110 in Eugene, breaking the all-time record of 108.
Oregon’s capital city, Salem, also recorded the highest temperature in its history on Sunday: 112, breaking the old mark by 4 degrees.
The temperature hit 104 in Seattle. The NWS said that was an all-time record for the city better known for rain than heat and was the first time the area recorded two consecutive triple digit days since records began being kept in 1894.
Records were being broken across the region, and the sizzling temperatures were expected to get even hotter Monday before beginning to cool Tuesday.
Climate experts say the “heat dome” over the Northwest is yet another example of how human-caused climate change is leading to more extreme weather events and more severe drought.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
