Lili Marin, 14, of Beaverton, Ore., seeks relief from the heat in the Sandy River with her dog, Luna, July 6, 2024.
Anna Lueck / OPB
A festival-goer cools down at a free water and misting station at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Ore., July 6, 2024.
Anna Lueck / OPB
A crew member wets a rag in a mist stream at the Waterfront Blues Festival in downtown Portland, Ore., July 6, 2024. In response to the heat wave, the festival set up free misting and water bottle filling stations, as well as allowing people to bring in personal umbrellas.
Anna Lueck / OPB
Crowds of people gather on the banks of the Sandy River at Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area in Troutdale, Ore., seeking relief from the heat under tents and on inflatable rafts, July 6, 2024.
Anna Lueck / OPB
(From left) Kyleeah Scott, 9, and Annisa Golleher, 7, play in the Sandy River during a heat wave on July 6, 2024.
Anna Lueck / OPB
Heather Theroux, a staff member of PDX Saints Love, fills a cooler with water bottles for distribution at the organization's cooling station in east Portland, Ore., July 6, 2024. PDX Saints Love is a group of community health workers supporting people experiencing homelessness and addiction. Theroux says that on Friday, they served roughly 90 people at the cooling station. "Our mission is to show love to all," she says, "but my heart is for the unhoused."
Anna Lueck / OPB
Levi Nejal cools off under a misting tent set up by PDX Saints Love in east Portland, Ore., July 6, 2024. PDX Saints Love is a group of community health workers supporting people experiencing homelessness and addiction. Nejal, who usually comes here for free meals and showers, says that, so far, the extreme heat "isn't nearly as bad as the [extreme] cold."
Anna Lueck / OPB
Longtime friends Michael Massey, left, and Scot Noel attend the Waterfront Blues Festival in downtown Portland, Ore., July 6, 2024. Both Massey and Noel are from Whidbey Island, Wash., and came to Portland specifically for the festival. The heat wave didn't give them any pause; Noel says, "you just need to prepare, and that's why we have this setup."
Anna Lueck / OPB
Kristi Bulleit smiles and dances in a water mister at the Waterfront Blues Festival in downtown Portland, Ore., on July 6, 2024. Bulleit has come to this festival for many years, and says, "it was this hot last year too. The only time I missed [the festival] was COVID."
Anna Lueck / OPB
Much of Oregon is continuing to see record-breaking temperatures, a trend that meteorologists expect to last into next week.
The National Weather Service in Portland is reporting that each day of the forecasted heat wave has the potential to break a single-day temperature record. Friday was the hottest July 5 ever recorded in Portland, Hillsboro, Salem, Eugene, and Vancouver, Washington.
And conditions are only expected to get hotter. Monday and Tuesday could see temperatures in Portland as high as 103 F and 104 F, respectively. Cooler conditions are expected to arrive Wednesday.
NWS Meteorologist Noah Alviz said the last time Portland Airport saw five consecutive days of 100 F or greater was way back in July 1941.
Six people were hospitalized Friday for heat-related illnesses, according to a Multnomah County spokesperson. No fatalities have been reported, as local governments and service organizations continue to provide aid to at-risk populations, particularly the elderly and those living outside.
Multnomah County has continued to offer cooling shelters from noon until 10 p.m. at three different locations: Cook Plaza in Gresham, Portland Covenant Church and Congregation Beth Israel in Portland. The shelters will be open Sunday, as well. County Spokesperson Julia Comnes said they have so far distributed more than 78,000 bottles of water.
County officials closed a shelter at The Hugo in Northeast Portland, citing “challenges with its HVAC system.” Those who arrive at The Hugo will be transferred to a different cooling station, according to a county news release.
Officials continue to recommend that people stay hydrated, avoid strenuous activities outside, and to check on vulnerable neighbors and family members.
