The Northwest braces for another heatwave

The National Weather Service has placed 150 million people across the country under heat advisories through the end of the week. The agency expects the Pacific Northwest to experience three consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures. Oregon, Washington state, and parts of north California—where crews are still battling the Dixie Fire—are under excessive heat warnings, and Oregon officials say that the heat might overload the power grid. Many people in the Pacific Northwest do not have air conditioning.

Are state and local authorities taking action? Western Oregon is preparing for a worst-case scenario of temperatures reaching 111 degrees Fahrenheit by Friday. Gov. Kate Brown has issued a state of emergency and activated emergency operations centers. Local authorities are extending library hours, opening cooling centers, and waiving bus fares for people traveling to the cooling stations. At least 83 people died, including many elderly and homebound, in a heat spike that reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit in June. The state created a help line in an effort to prevent heat-related deaths.

Dig deeper: Find updated heat wave information at the National Weather Service.