PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The wave of excessive heat the KOIN 6 Weather team has been tracking is set to arrive over the weekend. Along with it comes the potential of triple-digit temps and good chances that records will fall.
“Weather models now have high confidence in this mid-month heat wave,” said KOIN 6 Meteorologist Kelley Bayern. “As a broad ridge of high pressure expands over the Pacific Northwest, we’ll likely see 100-degree temps for several days in a row. “
Right now, forecasts are calling for a spike in temps starting Sunday, with the likelihood that the mercury will rise to 100 degrees or above sometime over the next few days.
“With warm temperatures developing aloft and a strong easterly wind, temps have a chance to hit the 100s by this Sunday in Portland, Bayern said. “I even think a few record high temps may be broken across the Portland metro area throughout this stretch of excessive heat.”
Portland has yet to see triple-digit weather this year. The hottest we have gotten so far this summer is 98 degrees back on July 5th.
“Looking over previous heat records in Portland, August heat waves aren’t anything new,” Bayern said. “Last year, we saw five 100 degree or warmer days. Two of those came in August, the first three in July. We’ve seen seven 100-degree heat waves in August since the 2000s. And the warmest daytime high we’ve ever recorded in August is 107 degrees, set back in 1981.”
As of Friday morning, the National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch that goes into effect Monday morning at 11 a.m. and lasts through Thursday evening. Health experts say it is important for people to pay attention to weather forecasts, stay hydrated and limit time outdoors during periods of extreme heat.
There is also a Fire Weather Watch going into effect at 2 p.m. Saturday.
“Please practice fire safety this weekend,” Bayern said. “As strong easterly winds ramp up Saturday night into Sunday, any new fires that start may spread rapidly. Winds are expected to gust around 30+ mph with bone dry conditions around the valley. We would really like to keep Oregon as green as possible.”
Don’t expect much cooling after the sun sets. The heat wave likely means temps will hover in the 70s during the overnight hours.
The KOIN 6 weather team sees temperatures cooling off by next week, at least back into the 80s.
Stick with KOIN 6 News and KOIN 6 Weather for more on this developing story.
