The unprecedented Pacific Northwest heatwave of June 2021

Rachel H. White (), Sam Anderson, James F. Booth, Ginni Braich, Christina Draeger, Cuiyi Fei, Christopher D. G. Harley, Sarah B. Henderson, Matthias Jakob, Carie-Ann Lau, Lualawi Mareshet Admasu, Veeshan Narinesingh, Christopher Rodell, Eliott Roocroft, Kate R. Weinberger and Greg West
Additional contact information
Rachel H. White: University of British Columbia
Sam Anderson: University of British Columbia
James F. Booth: City College of New York
Ginni Braich: University of British Columbia
Christina Draeger: University of British Columbia
Cuiyi Fei: University of British Columbia
Christopher D. G. Harley: University of British Columbia
Sarah B. Henderson: British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC)
Matthias Jakob: University of British Columbia
Carie-Ann Lau: BCG Engineering Inc
Lualawi Mareshet Admasu: University of British Columbia
Veeshan Narinesingh: Princeton University
Christopher Rodell: University of British Columbia
Eliott Roocroft: University of British Columbia
Kate R. Weinberger: University of British Columbia
Greg West: BC Hydro

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: Abstract In late June 2021 a heatwave of unprecedented magnitude impacted the Pacific Northwest region of Canada and the United States. Many locations broke all-time maximum temperature records by more than 5 °C, and the Canadian national temperature record was broken by 4.6 °C, with a new record temperature of 49.6 °C. Here, we provide a comprehensive summary of this event and its impacts. Upstream diabatic heating played a key role in the magnitude of this anomaly. Weather forecasts provided advanced notice of the event, while sub-seasonal forecasts showed an increased likelihood of a heat extreme with lead times of 10-20 days. The impacts of this event were catastrophic, including hundreds of attributable deaths across the Pacific Northwest, mass-mortalities of marine life, reduced crop and fruit yields, river flooding from rapid snow and glacier melt, and a substantial increase in wildfires—the latter contributing to landslides in the months following. These impacts provide examples we can learn from and a vivid depiction of how climate change can be so devastating.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36289-3

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