Pacific Northwest

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Severe Storms Wreak Havoc on Both Coasts

Record rain, high winds in California, Seattle; blizzard and winter storm warnings on East Coast

(Newser) - A major storm dropped more snow and record rain in California, causing small landslides and flooding some streets, while on the opposite side of the country, blizzard or winter storm warnings were in effect Saturday for areas spanning from the Northeast to central Appalachia. The storm on the West Coast...

West Coast's 'Bomb Cyclone' Has Arrived

More than 100K are already without power, wind speeds of up to 68mph have been recorded

(Newser) - What was expected to be one of the strongest storms in the northwest US in decades arrived Tuesday evening, knocking out power and downing trees across the region, the AP reports. The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks beginning Tuesday and lasting through Friday as the strongest atmospheric river—...

That Rotary Phone in the Forest Can Ease Your Grief

After Army vet created a 'wind phone' for a local park, they're now popping up everywhere

(Newser) - At the end of 2020, Corey Dembeck heard the awful news that the 4-year-old daughter of a friend had suddenly died after a bout with strep led to sepsis. The US Army veteran and former photojournalist wanted to do something immediate for the family of little Joelle Sylvester, so he...

Seattle Doesn't Usually Hit 90 Till July. This Year Is Different

Heat advisory is in effect in Pacific Northwest, where temps may soar 30 degrees above average

(Newser) - It's been a hot one in the Pacific Northwest over the past few days, and it looks like residents there will have to endure the extreme weather for at least a little longer. The New York Times reports that upward of 12 million people are sweating it out under...

Pacific Northwest Readies for Dangerous Heat

Several deaths already are tentatively blamed on hyperthermia

(Newser) - Extreme heat is forecast to stretch through the weekend in the Pacific Northwest, and authorities are investigating whether triple-digit temperatures were to blame for the deaths of at least four people. The Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office said at least three people have died of suspected hyperthermia during the...

The Pacific Northwest Is About to Get Very, Very Wet

Atmospheric river will bring heavy rain, floods to parts of Washington state, Oregon

(Newser) - If you live in Oregon or Washington state, get out your umbrellas. An atmospheric river is expected to hit the Pacific Northwest hard from Monday into Tuesday morning, with rainfall of 3 inches to 6 inches expected in that one-day span along parts of the coast, and even higher numbers...

The Pacific Northwest Isn't Ready for This Tsunami

The evacuation options just aren't there for tens of thousands of people

(Newser) - "It’s going to dwarf the scale of any disaster we have ever had. We know it’s coming." So Chris Goldfinger of Oregon State University tells the New York Times . He's talking about a massive—think magnitude 9.0—quake along the Cascadia fault off the...

Pacific Northwest Flooded, Snow Closes Mountain Passes

One socked-in town asked for National Guard help

(Newser) - Flooding coursed over roads, inundated farmland and curtailed access to a Native American reservation in Washington state on Sunday as the Pacific Northwest slowly recovered from a series of storms that have engulfed the region with rain and snow. The swollen Chehalis River was expected to crest Sunday as the...

They Say 200 Died From PNW Heat Wave. It May Be Much More

'Excess death' numbers out of Oregon, Washington state suggest hundreds more died than officially noted

(Newser) - While much of the US was slammed with a wall of heat Wednesday , the Pacific Northwest in particular is bracing for more super-hot days, just weeks after enduring a deadly "heat dome" that shattered records. That weather event produced an official death toll of 95 in Washington state and...

Heat Wave Death Toll Reaches 95 in Oregon

Record temperatures seem to have caused hundreds of deaths in the Pacific Northwest

(Newser) - We don’t know how many people died in the recent heatwave in the Pacific Northwest, but it looks like a lot. The best guess is in the hundreds. Oregon’s governor, Kate Brown, said Sunday that 95 deaths there were related to the heat, the AP reports. Portland saw...

Rolling Blackouts Expected as Heat Wave Moves Inland

Spokane predicts highest-ever temperature

(Newser) - The unprecedented Northwest US heat wave that slammed Seattle and Portland, Oregon, moved inland Tuesday—prompting a electrical utility in Spokane, Washington, to warn that people will face more rolling blackouts amid heavy power demand. The intense weather that gave Seattle and Portland consecutive days of record high temperatures far...

Behind Talk of Heat Wave Is Talk of a 'Heat Dome'
Region With Few AC Units
Is Baking Under a 'Heat Dome'
the rundown
Jun 28, 2021 10:30 AM CDT

Region With Few AC Units Is Baking Under a 'Heat Dome'

Temperatures in Northwest raise fears of a new normal being established

(Newser) - The Pacific Northwest—and Canada, too —must bake for one more day before cooler temperatures arrive on Tuesday, reports the Oregonian . That's a relative term: It's still expected to be unusually hot in Portland, though in the 80s and 90s instead of triple digits. Related coverage of...

This Is the Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded in Canada

Nearly 115 degrees Fahrenheit, in the village of Lytton on Sunday

(Newser) - The village of Lytton in the interior of southern British Columbia sizzled under a new all-time high temperature for Canada on Sunday, reaching 46.1 degrees Celsius, or just under 115 degrees Fahrenheit. The reading by Environment Canada in Lytton surpassed the previous national high of 45 C (113 F),...

Northwest Isn't the Only Part of US Due for a Scorcher

East and West coasts will both see temps well above seasonal averages this weekend, next week

(Newser) - The Pacific Northwest was already gearing up for a sweltering weekend, with temps in Seattle set to be higher than those in Cairo , but it's not the only part of the US that's due to be hit with soaring digits. CNN notes the "dueling heat waves" that...

Seattle Will Be Hotter Than Cairo This Weekend

'This is an unprecedented event'

(Newser) - A record-breaking heat wave in the Northwest will make Seattle hotter than Cairo this weekend and authorities are scrambling to find ways to keep vulnerable residents cool. The National Weather Service predicts that temperatures in the city will hit 100 on Sunday and a record-breaking 104 on Monday, the Seattle ...

Mysterious Object Over Seattle May Link Back to SpaceX

Company hasn't yet confirmed the 'dazzling,' meteor-like 'phantom' was one of its rockets

(Newser) - On Thursday evening, a "dazzling, splintering phantom" made its way across the sky in the Pacific Northwest, reaching from Portland to Seattle, reports the Washington Post . The sighting shocked, pleased, and confused viewers on the ground, who both marveled at the beauty of it but also expressed concern about...

Months After a Sad Loss, New Hope for Orcas

A calf arrives, though odds of survival aren't good

(Newser) - Welcome L124 or "Lucky"—a new calf spotted among the struggling southern resident orca population. The 75th member of the group, perhaps up to a month old, appears happy and healthy following its first sighting at the north end of Puget Sound in Washington state on Jan. 11,...

It Was the Salmon or the Sea Lions. The Senate Has Chosen

Bill passes that streamlines process for sea lions to be captured, euthanized

(Newser) - A bill that would make it easier to kill sea lions that feast on imperiled salmon in the Columbia River has cleared the US Senate. State wildlife managers say rebounding numbers of sea lions are eating more salmon than ever and their appetites are undermining billions of dollars of investments...

Orca Mourning Her Calf Gets Some Relief

Orcas are taking turns carrying corpse into 10th day

(Newser) - An orca who spent more than a week carrying her calf following its July 24 death now has some help. Other orcas in the pod swimming through Pacific Northwest waters near the US-Canada border are taking turns carrying the corpse after the effort caused the 20-year-old mother known as J35...

'Soul' of the Pacific NW Is Dying of Starvation
'Soul' of the
Pacific NW
Is Dying of
Starvation
in case you missed it
Jul 14, 2018 10:30 AM CDT

'Soul' of the Pacific NW Is Dying of Starvation

Killer whales are succumbing to a variety of factors, including pollution and lack of Chinook salmon

(Newser) - "I believe we have orcas in our soul in this state." Those were the words of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this year after forming the Southern Resident Orca Task Force , an initiative meant to keep endangered killer whales alive in the region. Contributing to their extinction there,...

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