PORTLAND, Ore. — On Monday, the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office identified four more deaths suspected to be in linked to the heat wave, bringing the number of potential heat-related deaths to 14 statewide.
In the past week, Multnomah County has had seven suspected heat-related deaths — one on Monday, July 25, Wednesday, July 27, Thursday, July 28, two on Saturday, July 30, and two on Sunday, July 31. All seven people lived in Portland.
Clackamas County has had two deaths — one on Friday, July 28, and another on Saturday, July 29.
Marion County had four deaths, which occurred on Thursday, July 28, Friday, July 29, Sunday, July 31 and Monday, Aug. 1.
Eastern Oregon's Umatilla County had one death on Tuesday, July 26.
"This designation as a heat-related death is preliminary and further investigation may reveal a cause of death that’s unrelated to hyperthermia," the state medical examiner's office said, adding that the official cause of death for each individual may take months to confirm.
Highs have stayed in the 90s and 100s for seven straight days, after the National Weather Service (NWS) issued an excessive heat warning on Monday, July 25.
At Portland International Airport, temperatures have exceeded 95 degrees for seven days for the first time on record, the NWS Portland office tweeted, adding that three of those days have reached triple-digit temperatures.
The heat wave comes a little more than a year after the historic heat dome event in 2021, which topped out at 116 degrees and resulted in the deaths of nearly 100 people.
