Much of the country is used to occasional 100-degree days. Seattle, which has had just three in the past 123 years, is not.

So unaccustomed is Seattle to scorching heat that, in 2015, only one-third of the housing units in its metropolitan area had air-conditioning.

That’s going to make this week dangerous.

The National Weather Service is predicting “widespread record highs” as a heat wave engulfs the Pacific Northwest. An excessive heat warning is in effect from 2 p.m. on Tuesday through 9 p.m. on Friday. Seattleites can expect temperatures in the mid-80s to lower 90s on Tuesday. Wednesday will be in the 90s. And that three-digit barrier: Thursday may break it, with highs potentially “near 104.”

In Portland, Ore., the second-largest city in the Pacific Northwest, highs of 104 to 107 are expected on Wednesday and Thursday, threatening the record of 107 degrees, which was set in 1965 and tied in 1981. Friday, too, is expected to reach 100, which would make this week only the seventh time since 1940 that Portland has had three consecutive days of triple-digit heat. And with a forecast of 99 degrees on Tuesday, the city is flirting with a four-day streak, something that has happened only twice since 1940.

“This is definitely not a town that was built on air-conditioning, and usually we don’t need it,” Dana Felton, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Seattle, told The Seattle Times. “We have only hit 100 or more on three days in 120 years of keeping records, and on average we have only three 90-degree-plus days a year.”

Portland is in better shape in that regard — 70 percent of its housing units have air-conditioning — but that still leaves 271,300 units without.

Cities throughout the Pacific Northwest are opening cooling centers. Seattle lists more than 30; Multnomah County, which includes Portland, will have three.

Officials are issuing standard warnings about how to stay healthy: Drink plenty of water, and do it regularly; don’t wait until you feel thirsty. Stay out of the sun as much as possible. Never leave children or pets in a vehicle unattended; cars can reach deadly temperatures in mere minutes.

And be aware of the signs of heat-related illnesses. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include muscle cramps, headaches, nausea and dizziness. If you experience these, you should stop physical activity, move to a cooler place and drink water. If it’s not treated, heat exhaustion can progress to heatstroke, a life-threatening emergency. Symptoms include a body temperature of 104 degrees or higher, rapid breathing, a racing pulse, confusion, slurred speech and seizures.

And then on to Housing News:

Jobs in Seattle growing twice as fast as housing

Between 2010 and 2015, Seattle added more than two jobs for every new unit of housing that was permitted, according to a report from Apartment List. The city is feeling that discrepancy, as record numbers of newcomers move here for jobs, and rent and home prices seem to be on a limitless upward trajectory. It could be worse, though. San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley, added five-and-a-half jobs for every new unit of housing during that five-year period, according to the study.

Chinese millionaires pick Seattle as No. 2 place in the world to live!

This year, Seattle surpassed San Francisco as the second place in the world where Chinese millionaires most want to live. But critics say the threat of foreign investors could worsen Seattle’s already exclusive market.

If you could pick anywhere in the world to live, where would it be?

For a lot of Chinese millionaires, the answer is: Seattle.

On a wish list of global destinations, Seattle has surged into the No. 2 spot for well-off folks in China who are hoping to relocate, according to a new report.

Each year, Shanghai-based Hurun Research surveys hundreds of Chinese millionaires who are either thinking of leaving, have already begun the emigration process or have recently made the move. About 12 percent picked Seattle over any other place this year. Los Angeles, the top choice for about 18 percent, is No. 1.

Seattle has been steadily rising up the rankings since debuting as the sixth-most-desired immigration destination in 2014. This year, we knocked San Francisco out of the No. 2 spot.

The survey respondents are affluent — they have an average net worth of about $3 million — but not among China’s superrich. So value is a top priority for them, and that helps explain Seattle’s appeal, which estimates that half of his home sales in select Eastside markets are to buyers from China.

“They believe property appreciation (in Seattle) is in the first few innings of a long run,”. While Vancouver and San Francisco are very attractive, they’re also a lot more expensive. In comparison to other West Coast cities, Jones says Seattle is a bargain.

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