Heat Wave a Glimpse of Climate Change's Impact in N. America

The sun shines near the Space Needle, Monday, June 28, 2021, in Seattle as Seattle and other cities broke all-time heat records, with temperatures soaring well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius). Weather extremes like this will increase in frequency and intensity in North America the coming years as global warming accelerates, according to a United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren,File)

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By Associated Press

March 1, 2022 at 4:44 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Portland, Ore. (AP) -- The U.S. Pacific Northwest was in the throes of a record-shattering heat wave last summer when a woman in her 70s was wheeled into an emergency room with symptoms of a life-threatening heat stroke.

Desperate to cool her, Dr. Alexander St. John grabbed a body bag, filled it with ice from the hospital kitchen and zipped the woman inside. Within minutes, her body temperature dropped and her symptoms improved.