A 59-year-old man died Wednesday of suspected heat-related illness following a three-day heatwave that put temperatures near 100 degrees in the Portland area, Multnomah County officials said Thursday.
Officials found the man in the 97233 ZIP code, which encompasses a portion of Southeast Portland and part of Rockwood near Gresham. The county released no other details about the death and did not identify the man.
The county said medical examiners are investigating the man’s death, but confirming the cause of death could take weeks or even months. It’s possible that other people have died this year due to heat-related illness, but the county only reports weather-related deaths when there is a declared state of emergency, according to county spokesperson Sarah Dean.
All other heat deaths are reported in the county’s annual summer health hazards report, Dean said.
Chair Jessica Vega Pederson declared a state of emergency earlier this week as temperatures climbed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to near triple digits with little reprieve overnight. Officials opened daytime cooling centers in response.
On Wednesday, temperatures dipped slightly, reaching 87 during the day before dropping to 64 overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
If the man’s death is confirmed as heat-related, it would be the fifth year in a row that someone has died in Multnomah County due to hot weather. In 2021, an unprecedented heat dome killed 75 people in Multnomah County. From 2022 to 2024, 14 more people died due to high summer temperatures, according to the 2024 heat hazards report.
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