AccuWeather's team of expert forecasters were describing the then upcoming heat wave as "unprecedented", "life-threatening" and "historic" as early as the middle of last week, and these descriptions have been accurate in the early stages of the Northwest scorcher.

Saturday was just the beginning of the extended stretch of extreme temperatures. Portland, Oregon, recorded its hottest day ever, climbing to a sizzling 108 degrees Fahrenheit. The previous all-time record high was 107 set once in July of 1965 and twice in August of 1981.

The city is not only expected to obliterate its daily record highs of 98 and 100 on Sunday and Monday, respectively, but also blow by the newly set all-time record high of 108. AccuWeather is predicting a high of 115 on Sunday and 114 on Monday, which would make these dates the first and second hottest days ever recorded in the city, with Saturday then marking the third hottest.

The highest temperature ever recorded in the state of Oregon is 117, which was set in Umatilla on July 27, 1939.

"Temperatures of 110 F or greater are virtually unheard of west of the Cascades," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Randy Adkins noted.

Seattle soared to its own impressive heights on Saturday as the thermometer skyrocketed to 102, making June 26 the second hottest day in the city since records began and shattering the city's June record high of 96.

The Emerald City will easily eclipse Sunday and Monday's daily records, which stand in the lower 90s, and likely set new marks for the first and second hottest days in recorded history. Sunday's high is predicted to be a scorching 104, with Monday expected to be even hotter at 110.