Oregon’s temperatures are dipping, but last month’s heat wave solidified an unsettling trend: Extreme heat is hitting Oregon’s aging population hard. With withering temperatures at 100 degrees or higher during the July 2024 heat wave, 16 people died due to suspected issues related to the heat, according to the state medical examiner’s office. All but two of the deaths were people over the age of 50, and most of them were in their 70s or 80s.