The Northwest’s run of record temperatures is the result of a "heat dome" blanketing the region – a bubble of high pressure that pushed highs into triple digits for days. While heat extremes are possible, human-caused climate change increases the likelihood and severity of such events. Muul hopes the grisly scene will be a reminder that climate impacts are already arriving, with significant consequences for people and wildlife alike. “In the short term, this was not preventable,” said Muul. “But I think in the long term, there's definitely things that we can start doing now to start preventing this kind of thing. You know, it's not really a one-off because these things are starting to happen more and more frequently. The weather's changing, it's getting hotter.”