The First Heat Wave of 2019 Is Here, and the Portland Area Could See Record Breaking Temps This Week

Soaring temperatures also increase wildfire risks.

(Thomas Teal)
By Elise Herron

Break out the swamp coolers.

Portland and other parts of Oregon are expected to experience record-breaking heat for early June, the National Weather Service of Portland says. Forecasts show that tomorrow, Portland temperatures could reach 94 degrees Fahrenheit and Wednesday, highs will be around 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Will Ahue, a NWS meteorologist, says that the historic high for June 11 is 95 degrees, set in 1941, and for June 12, the record 93 degrees, set in 2002.

"We'll be close to breaking the record on Tuesday," Ahue says, "and probably will on Wednesday."

The early-season heat is part of a warming trend that last year saw Portland experience a record number of 90 plus degree days in a calendar year. The last time the Northwest region had a summer without any 90 degree days was in 1954.

The soaring temperature is also expected to increase wildfire threats, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

"Heating and drying through next week will move fire danger indices out of near normal seasonal levels to levels more typically of mid-July," the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center wrote in a report. "Breezy winds combined with the hot, dry conditions could ramp up fire behavior."

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