PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The World Meteorological Organization reports that last month was the hottest August on record across the globe, but for Portland, it was also the hottest month ever recorded since 1940.
According to KOIN 6 Meteorologist Kelley Bayern, 75.4 degrees was the average mean temperature across each day in August 2023. This broke the record previously set in August 2022, when 75.1 degrees was the average mean temperature.
“Record August heat was due to persistent high-pressure ridging patterns over the region throughout the month,” Bayern explained. “We recorded 10 days at or above 90 degrees, too. Normally, we get around five days at more than 90 degrees in August.”
Additionally, Bayern said that same weather pattern caused the excessive heatwave that Portlanders experienced in mid-August. From Sunday, Aug. 13 to Wednesday, Aug. 16, the city recorded four consecutive days with triple-digit temperatures.
With a high of 108 degrees, Aug. 14 shattered Portland’s record for the hottest day ever recorded in August. The two following days also broke records for the highest temperatures recorded on that particular date.
On a global scale, this August was the second hottest month ever recorded — right after July 2023. In the U.S. alone, almost 6,600 cities broke daily temperature records during the summer sizzle.
So far, the Copernicus Climate Change Service says this year’s sweltering heat has only been topped by 2016.
But with the start of meteorological fall on Sept. 1, Portland has already begun to see fall-like conditions.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center shows that temperatures could be equal to what’s typically expected for September. However, the city could see more rainfall than usual for the month.
