5 Reasons Portland Hits 100 This Weekend

My favorite blog posts to read are the ones with simple lists–so I can learn something–and then get on with my day.

So here are 5 reasons Portland and many I-5 Corridor cities will hit 100 degrees on Saturday (some may do it Friday, too):

1. Longest Days Of The Year: this is the actual week where the sun in our northwest skies is up longer than any other time. That means more hours of heating us up.
2. Shortest Nights Of The Year: the flip side here is that the shortest nights of the year mean less time to cool down than any other week on the calendar. I’m certain we’ll set some new records for warm low temperatures this weekend.
3. The Sun’s Most Intense Rays Of The Year: The sun is higher in northwest skies this week than any other. That means it’s rays hit us more directly now than any other time. Intensity helps translate to heat. Definitely wear sunscreen if you’re out this weekend!
4. Thermal Trough Over Western Oregon/SW Washington: This is an invisible weather feature at the surface that helps the air to temperatures to spike. It’s kind of like hitting the gas pedal on your car. Suddenly the engine revs up. In this case, the ‘heat engine’ revs up.
5. Summer Heatwave Air Above Us: Most summers there are a few times where incredibly warm air moves into the skies above us. This is going to be one of those times. If you want to find freezing temperatures, forget about climbing Mt. Hood because it won’t be freezing at the summit. You’d need a flight from PDX to reach freezing cold air!

So there you have it. Five reasons Portland will hit 100 this weekend–particularly Saturday.

For more on the thunderstorm threat that comes with the heat, check out the Bruce Sussman weather app available for Android and iPhone and iPad.