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Heat Moves North Friday

New Record Highs Likely

Very Warm Into Saturday, Cooling Sunday

It was already a very hot day for some of us today, with records broken all over southwestern Oregon. Medford came up to 97, but it was an unbelievable 105 in Brookings, right on the Oregon coast. The rest of us felt the warm-up, but with highs mainly in the 70s and 80s, it felt 'just right'. Finally, a real spring-like day!

However, we jump right from spring straight into summer on Friday as the thermal trof (warm pool of air near the surface) stretch north along the I-5 corridor. Highs will climb into the 80s around Puget Sound and 90s in the Willamette Valley, easily shattering records in some communities. Most of our eastern half will see 80s and 90s, with even warmer temps to come Saturday.

While the warm up is nice, there is some concern about the potential for flooding for many of our eastern rivers, most notably the Naches River in Yakima County. Cresting above 20' on Sunday afternoon, the Naches will be 3 or more feet above flood stage. It may be the highest the river has risen since December 1977. Riverside homes from Cliffdell to North Yakima will be in the flood zone, and we're expecting significant flooding for nearby pastures and orchards. Many other counties have rivers under flood watches, as the rapidly rising temperatures will be going to town melting off that massive winter snowpack we piled up.

Over the weekend, we'll see minor cooling west of the Cascades Saturday as a westerly wind/marine push begins. The cooling becomes more noticeable on Sunday as highs drop into the 70s and lower 80s along I-5. Even with the cooler temps Sunday, it will still be lovely with mostly sunny skies.

The increasing clouds later Sunday will be a sign of wetter, cooler weather knocking on the door by some of us by Monday evening. So enjoy that warm streak while it lasts! And be safe in the sun--wear sun protection, and avoid those fast-moving, cool rivers and lakes as a means to cool off over this sizzling weekend.

Have a wonderful night!
~ Meteorologist Shannon O'Donnell
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