Weekend Heat: Flirting With 100 Degrees In The Willamette Valley

It starts with one massive area of high pressure building on Friday and peaking on Saturday August 4, 2012.

This change alone is usually enough to get us to around 90 degrees.

But this Saturday, temperatures should hit 90, and then keep on climbing!

Shift In Wind Helps Portland-Vancouver-Salem Feel Extreme Summer Heat

We’ve had an ocean breeze all week — and much of the summer — which is why Portland has not hit 90 degrees in 2012 until this first weekend in August.

Friday winds should be coming from the northeast into Portland-Vancouver and Salem and down to many of our beach cities at times. This is a hot wind that actually generates its own heat as it comes down the mountains into the valley and down the coast range onto the beach. That takes a 90 degree day and helps us get to 95-100 degrees.

Saturday: Peak Of The Portland Heat

These are the forecast numbers I used on KOIN Local 6 News at 11pm on August 1, 2012–looking ahead to Saturday. Can you believe in a year with minimal heat we’ll suddenly peak in the 95-100 degree range so suddenly?

The behind-the-scenes forecast trend this week has been to heat up the forecast a little each day. And in talking with KOIN Meteorologist Matt Brode, we feel like someplace is surely going to hit 100 this weekend. The central & southern valley seem to have the best odds as of now–but that could change.

So, if you’ve been whining that summer has been too cold–get ready to whine that summer is suddenly too hot.

And wear lots of suncreen!