Death toll from recent heat wave hits 78 in Washington

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state’s death toll from last month’s record-breaking Pacific Northwest heat wave has risen to 78.

The state Department of Health said Thursday that in comparison, there were just seven heat-related deaths in Washington from mid-June to the end of August 2020. From 2015 to 2020 there were a total of 39 deaths. A majority of the deaths from the late June heat wave were in King and Pierce counties, officials said.

Oregon on Wednesday reported 116 deaths following temperatures that shattered previous all-time records during the three-day heat wave that engulfed Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, Canada.

The heat wave was caused by what meteorologists described as a dome of high pressure over the Northwest and worsened by human-caused climate change, which is making such extreme weather events more likely and more intense.

Seattle, Portland and many other cities broke all-time heat records, with temperatures in some places reaching above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 Celsius).

Health officials said that the state numbers are preliminary and subject to change, and heat-related deaths by county will be updated weekly online.

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