Temperatures soar as heat wave hits western US and Canada

‘Extreme and prolonged’ heat wave raises concerns for elderly, unhoused and other particularly vulnerable people.

Authorities in the western United States and Canada are warning residents to take precautions as a historic heat wave hit the region on Saturday, sending temperatures soaring and pushing local officials to open emergency cooling centres. All of the US states of Washington and Oregon and parts of Idaho, Wyoming and California were under an excessive heat warning as temperatures were to rise dramatically during the weekend and through next week, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. “This event will likely be one of the most extreme and prolonged heat waves in the recorded history of the Inland Northwest,” the NWS said.