Heat wave brings folks to Oregon’s coastal cities

A strong and persistent heat wave that began July 4 seared towns and cities from British Columbia, Canada to the California-Mexico border. Temperatures soared into the low 100s during the day.

The sweltering conditions sent many from inland Oregon to Lincoln City, Newport, Coos Bay, and other beach locations to escape the heat. Coastal temperatures were in the upper 70s and low 80s, according to National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Noah Alviz.

“The coast gets that marine air, the sea breeze, that keeps the coast cooler, but unfortunately, the coast range prevents that sea breeze from really getting inland,” he said. “That onshore flow is not strong enough to penetrate past the coast range and so, the interior valleys just stay hot.”

The triple digit temperatures were expected to cool by Wednesday, July 10.

“We’ll start to see that onshore push, which will bring those temperatures down,” Alviz said. “The temperatures will drop down to the lower to upper 90s, for the interior and lower valleys, and for the rest of the week looks like we’ll stay in the upper 80s and low 90s.”

Strong high pressure over the western United States triggered the Pacific Coast heat wave, according to Alviz.

“When you have strong high pressure, usually air will sink,” he said. “When air sinks down, you dry up and you warm up, and this is a pretty persistent high pressure that is over us. It is moving pretty slowly, which is causing this long-duration heat wave.”

According to the NWS Prediction Center, no rain is expected through July 16.

“We are below normal for precipitation,” he said. “Generally, in July we are already pretty dry, so the long-term outlook in July is not looking for significant amounts of precipitation.” Alviz urged everyone to be cautious during the hot weather.

“Check on your friends and neighbors, especially those who may not have air conditioning,” he said. “The elderly and your children are more vulnerable to the heat,”

The Oregon Health Authority is encouraging people to take steps to avoid heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Oregonians can find more information about local cooling centers from 211.

Emergency declaration

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declared a statewide extreme heat emergency July 5, as the state prepared for the high temperatures.

“Extreme weather events are now the new normal for Oregon,” Kotek said. “Right now, state and local governments are on a path to strengthen our preparedness and response, not only this year but for the years to come. The need for emergency declarations should decrease over time if we continue on this path.

“However, gaps exist today,” added Kotek. “In the interest of safety and human life over the next several days, I am declaring an emergency due to extreme heat. Both the record-breaking temperatures and the duration of heat present a clear and present danger, particularly for children, elders, people with disabilities, and people who work outside. I am urging Oregonians to take every precaution and check on your family and neighbors.”