‘Instant Summer’ Heat To Hit Astoria, Portland, Seattle

I really cannot remember what it’s like to wear flip-flops and shorts over a weekend.

Except for the time I did that earlier in the year and was wearing a warm fleece, too!

Well, you can ditch the fleece this weekend–just make sure you can find the sunglasses!

Instant Summer Heat Headed To Places Like Astoria, Portland, Vancouver, Seattle

Two things will make it suddenly hot around the northwest this weekend.

1. Warm: we’re going to see lots of sun – with only a few high clouds at times. The sun is almost as strong as it gets each year over the northwest.
2. Hot: it looks like we’ll have our first real round of east or northeast winds coming down off the Cascades. This air heats up as it crashes down into the Willamette Valley and along the Oregon & Washington coasts. This combination will make it instantly feel like summer.

Milestones I Expect Saturday June 4, 2011

• Portland, Oregon (and Salem & Corvallis) and Vancouver, Washington hit 80 degrees for the first time this year
• Cities like Seaside and Astoria, Oregon and Long Beach, Washington hit mid-70s for the first time this year – some spots could be warmer
• Seattle, Washington finally hits 75 degrees for the first time this year

Some Rivers Will Continue To Rise Over Weekend

To find freezing temperatures this weekend, you’ll have to climb all the way to the top of Mt. Hood. This means everything below that level, throughout the Cascades, will be in melt mode. Rivers like the Sandy & Clackamas will see the rises first.

The Willamette River will like come up some more next week as a result.

The Columbia River is largely dam regulated so they will ultimately set river levels there. The Columbia is currently causing minor flooding lots of places in Oregon and Washington and this should continue for the foreseeable future.

So, after our fifth coolest May on Record and that crazy cold and wet April, are you ready for 80 degree heat? Or will you be complaining that it’s just-too-hot?