The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for much of the Willamette Valley for the next few days.
Jacob Hill, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said a couple of weather patterns are coming together to drive up the heat, possibly into the triple digits. A high-pressure system is moving in from the west and an inverted thermal trough is shifting the wind.
“So rather than having winds flow inland from the ocean, we’re going to be having winds flowing from the Columbia Basin, over the Cascades and into the Willamette Valley,” Hill said.
That translates into hot and dry conditions that push up temperatures and increase the threat of wildfires.
Expect some hotter conditions this week! The rest of today remains cooler, but from tomorrow onwards expect temperatures into the 90s, with 40-50% chance of breaking 100 degrees in the Willamette Valley on Thursday and Friday ! Hot conditions continue until Sunday.🌞#ORwx #WAwx pic.twitter.com/tkmbx84mKt
— NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) September 3, 2024
“It looks like minimum temperatures are going to be in the mid to upper 60s,” said Hill. “So it’s not going to really offer too much release overnight for people.”
Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson is declaring a state of emergency effective at 10 a.m. Thursday and opening two cooling centers.
One is at Cook Plaza, 19421 S.E. Stark St. in Gresham, the other is at Portland Covenant Church, 4046 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Portland.
FILE - Blanchet House resident Dale Hartford carries a case of water as he helps rack water bottles at the Portland, Ore., facility, July 3, 2024, before a heat wave.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The Portland-area transit system TriMet also won’t turn anyone away who needs a ride to a cooling center and cannot pay. Riders are being asked to tell their bus operator where they’re headed.
Portland Public Schools issued a statement saying classes will continue as usual on Wednesday, but the district is taking steps to mitigate the heat, like leaving ventilation systems on overnight to bring in cool, fresh air.
School districts in Clackamas County including Estacada and Colton are planning to release students early Thursday due to the extreme heat and lack of air-conditioning units in their classrooms.
Other school districts including Parkrose and Gervais are also planning to release students early.
Wildfires are expected to be exacerbated by the heat. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued air quality advisories for Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Klamath, Lake and Malheur counties.
DEQ also expects intermittent smoke in Clackamas, Douglas, Lane, Linn and Marion counties, at least until Friday.
A wildfire outside Ukiah in Umatilla County becomes part of the Battle Mountain Complex of fires that have burned more than 183,000 acres and destroyed seven homes and 10 other structures.
Courtesy of Northwest Interagency Coordination Center / Oregon Capital Chronicle
The DEQ recommends people stay inside if possible and keep windows and doors closed. If it’s too hot, run air conditioning or consider moving to a cooler location. Anyone who needs help finding a cool space can call 211 or visit 211info.org.
People should also avoid strenuous outdoor activities, and those with medical conditions should be sure to follow a breathing plan and keep prescriptions filled.