The unprecedented heat wave baking the Pacific Northwest this week has caused power outages and even damaged infrastructure including highways and public transit, Bloomberg reported. The pavement on Seattle highways buckled and streetcar service was suspended after wires overheated. Avista Corp, one the region’s largest energy providers, instituted rolling blackouts that left more than 9,000 residents without power early Tuesday morning. Temperatures in Seattle reached an all-time high of 108 degrees, while the mercury soared past 115 degrees in Portland, according to the National Weather Service. The heat will also affect parts of the East Coast, driving up energy demand as people use their air conditioning systems to stay cool. A heat wave from Pennsylvania to Maine pushed Boston to nearly 100 degree temperatures on Monday morning, and New York could soon see temperatures in the upper 90s.
