Western Oregon braces for heat
An excessive heat alert, a red flag warning and a fire weather watch have all been posted for the Willamette Valley as it braces for record-setting heat this week.
With highs expected to hover in the triple digits the rest of the week, it will be crucial to make sure children and pets are not in hot cars, pets are not left in sun-exposed kennels or metal pickup beds, and that all pets and livestock be provided with 24/7 access to shade and fresh water. Temperatures can reach lethal levels within minutes.
The National Weather Service is predicting highs of 100 today, 106 Wednesday and Thursday, and 100 Friday. It is predicting highs dripping to 93 Saturday and the mid-80s Sunday.
The hottest day on record for McMinnville is 108 degrees, on July 21, 1938.
Overnight lows are expected to range from the mid-60s to the mid-70s, making it harder to cool buildings and people. As a result, power demand is expected to be high.
Breezy winds, low humidity and extremely high temperatures promise to make fire danger extremely high. The Weather Service urges people to be mindful of any potential ignition sources, especially in grassy areas, as fires are likely to spread rapidly.
The forecast heat wave has caused some outdoor activities to close this week. The Thursday McMinnville Farmers Market, on Cowls Street between First and Second streets, and the McMinnville Downtown Association’s Concerts On The Plaza, at Third and Davis streets, decided to skip this week due to the extreme weather.
Dog owners should avoid exercising their pets during the heat of the day, and be mindful that hot asphalt and cement can burn paw pads. Swimmers should wear life jackets, and anyone spending time outdoors should keep well rested, shaded and hydrated.
The forecast, as of Monday, according to the National Weather Service:
Comments
Joel2828
103? Wow, the horror of it. Our friends down south are probably rolling their eyes at us. In Phoenix that would be a nice pleasant summer day.
Don Dix
With all the present clamoring about global warming, how could McMinnville's high temperature record be 80 years old?
Actually, every monthly record, with the exception of June, was set in 1988 or before. Did you know nearly half (5) of those monthly records were set in the 1930s?
Maybe the 'climate experts' forgot to 'adjust' these recorded temps to fit the agenda!
tagup
Or maybe conclusions can't be drawn from narrow geographical statistics for record temperatures....
McMinnvillePublicLibrary
The McMinnville Public Library is a cooling center, we're open until 8 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. Our A/C was fixed this morning!
Don Dix
tagup -- Haven't you noticed every time there is a heat record threatened, the media hypes it all over the newscasts. And instead of actual temperatures on national maps these days, the graphic is 'heat index' (which is usually higher than temps this time of year). Sell, sell, sell!
Anytime a hypothesis requires subtle messaging of, or ignoring altogether, historical recordings and facts (plus the media hype), maybe a little deeper inspection would be prudent. But that's just how my processing works -- I'm sure there are other ways.