PORTLAND - Mail carrier Kal Ramirez moves quickly along his route in North Portland. It’s hot and he’s always on the move.
“I have SPF 85 on right now,” he jokes.
He wears a post office ballcap, shirt and shorts. His handshake is understandably sweaty.
“Not too bad once you get used to it,” Ramirez said.
The hot blast of weather has Portland flirting with temperatures at or above 100 degrees. He'll walk 13 miles by the time the last letter is delivered.
"You feel it. You feel exhausted at the end of the day. Beats you up a little bit. You feel more tired than normal," he said.
Many who work outside know the feeling. From firefighters pouring cold water down their backs after battling a blaze in a Portland attic, to food cart operators who shut down when the heat inside their tiny kitchens rose above 115 degrees, many know this heat is nothing to play with.
It’s so hot, Oregon OSHA issued a warning to workers and employers.
“If you're feeling sick and crummy it’s time to get out of the heat and cool down,” said Penny Wolf-McCormick from Oregon OSHA. The agency suggests frequent breaks and lots of extra water.
At Portland International Airport, a hardy paving crew will work right through the heat of the day.
“Believe me it’s hot," said Herb Young as he prepared to rake just delivered asphalt.
There is no shade here for Bryce Miller as he checks the density of the material out in the middle of the fresh pour.
“The asphalt comes out at like 300 degrees and sun's beating down. It's going to be like 100 today ...“ Miller said drifting off on the sentence as sweat ran down his face. So he'll drink a gallon of water or maybe two.
The crew works for Lakeside Industries, and leaders said they've never stopped because of heat.
The intense heat is felt everywhere, even on the massive rolling machines that smooth and compact the asphalt.
"It's miserable but we have a lot of water and Gatorade, cool cloths,” said Tammy York who drives one of the machines.
The job foreman says Roman Garcia has the hottest job on the entire, sweltering site.
He stands on the back of the asphalt machine as it squeezes out the material along the ground. “Always. It's maybe 180 degrees all day long there cause the asphalt is 350 degrees,” said Garcia.
