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I hail from a climate that tends to get hot in the summer. The day I got married, the heat index was 105.

So it’s easy to hear about the heat wave that has been plaguing the Pacific Northwest and think it’s maybe not that big a deal. But it actually is a very big deal.

Like the Texans who weren’t prepared to deal with the cold, that region really isn’t prepared to deal with sustained record-breaking heat.

And it has been record breaking.

Not only do families not have air conditioning on the regular, the infrastructure wasn’t built for this kind of heat.

Think I’m joking? Check out these 15 pictures that really illustrate just how bad it is.

1. The actual ROADS are buckling

This is not a drill, and it’s not a disaster movie.

2. Railroad tracks are MELTING

Portland has become the fiery inferno of Mount Doom.

Cool cool cool cool cool.

PSA. If you park under or will be parking under train tracks, tar is melting off of them and it’s not fun to clean off.
byu/scilRS inPortland

3. It’s literally burning HOLES in power cables

They don’t make these different for different climates right?

This is bad.

4. Even their HOUSES are melting!

Paint, sure, but vinyl??

5. Not to mention their Air Conditioners are EXPLODING

And that’s if they’re lucky enough to have AC at all!

My AC exploded on a recording breaking heat wave in Oregon
byu/PDE503 inWellthatsucks

6. Skylights are turning homes into Easy Bake Ovens

Thank god for cardboard, am I right?

https://twitter.com/secwonk311/status/1409231691940450305?s=20

7. Plastic toys inside their home are losing shape

Just imagine the unseen damages to the infrastructure.

But humans are nothing if not resilient, and they are fighting back.

8. Buying up all the ice cream before it can melt

Smart thinking, right there.

Fans are bit the only thing Seattle stores have sold out of during the heat wave. Good luck trying to get ice cream.
byu/1_for_you_2_for_me inSeattle

9. We have snow day French toast

They have heat wave picnics.

10. And proving old adages are true

We’ve all heard it, but we never really believed it.

Behold
byu/dead-fish inPortland

11. People are making ad hoc swimming pools

I mean I guess they’re going to try to cool off in it.

12. And ad hoc puppy pools

This is pretty ingenious, TBH.

Dad made me a pool to beat the heat!!!!
byu/Queso_Bueno81 inRottweiler

13. All jokes aside, it’s a serious matter

They’re opening cooling centers to try to keep people out of hospitals.

14. Plants are dying

I love hydrangeas, and this breaks my heart.

Before and after of my hydrangeas in the Portland heat wave. Goodnight, sweet prince
byu/fujiko_chan ingardening

15. Even the perpetually snow-capped mountains are suffering

An absolute sign of just how bad it is.

Wow. I’d heard about the roads buckling, but this was worse than I thought.

Makes me kind of worried about the future, what about you? Share your thoughts in the comments.