Pacific Northwest: Heatwave reaches triple digits

Major cities in the US Pacific Northwest region have broken records with temperatures climbing into the triple digits.

Multiple excessive heat warnings are in place, with Oregon in a state of emergency as Portland hit 38.8C. Yakima, in Washington also hit 41.6C.

The extreme heat is expected to persist for several days more, when some places could record into the mid-forties. Heat alerts are also in place for parts of California, Idaho and Nevada.

Amidst wildfires in California, Oak Fire has now burned more than 18,000 acres of land. Smoke has spread into northern California and southern Oregon, producing very poor air quality across these areas.

Prolonged heatwaves in this region have been historically rare, with an elevated number of people hospitalised from current heat-related illnesses.

Similar to the British Isles, air conditioning in these regions is hard to come by, which is worsening the impacts.