Once in a 1,000-year heatwave strikes the Pacific Northwest

Once in a 1,000-year heatwave strikes the Pacific Northwest Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory documents extreme heat throughout the state of Washington on June 25, 2021, when land surface temperatures reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The historic heat wave is impacting much of the Pacific Northwest, and experts say the worst of it is yet to come. 

“Extraordinary heat events occur around the planet during most summers, but the current heatwave in the Pacific Northwest is truly exceptional,” reports NASA.

“In June 2021, all-time temperature records fell in multiple cities in the U.S. and Canada during a heatwave that the National Weather Service called ‘historic and dangerous.'”

On June 26, excessive heat warnings were in place across Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. As temperatures reach over 30 degrees above average, some scientists are calling it a once in a 1,000 year event. Once in a 1,000-year heatwave strikes the Pacific Northwest also happening less often.

Data for the map was obtained from NASA’s ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS), which uses a scanning radiometer to measure thermal infrared energy emitted from Earth’s surface.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer