Stephen Colbert

While other late-show hosts were out on summer vacation, Stephen Colbert appreciated the air conditioning inside New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater on Tuesday night, as the city endured a heatwave. But the New York heat paled in comparison with the record-high temperatures gripping the Pacific north-west: Portland hit 116F (46C) on Tuesday, “which I believe means Portland is medium rare”, the Late Show host said. “Safe to eat, though.”

The temperature in Portland was so extreme that it melted power cables, shutting down the city’s streetcars. “Passengers were then forced to walk, which I will remind you is only twice as fast as riding a streetcar,” Colbert joked.

The heat