The Willamette Valley is bracing for its first extended heat wave of the summer next week. But forecasters say the Eugene-Springfield area could be spared from the worst of it.
The heat will start building on Sunday and will peak mid-week. It’s not expected to approach the scorching highs of last year’s heat dome, but the northern Willamette Valley could reach the upper 90’s. The southern part of the valley might top out at a few degrees less, according to the National Weather Service.
"Either way, mid-90’s is still hot," said John Bumgardner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland. "And given we won’t be cooling off a whole lot at night, especially in urbanized areas where the heat island effect is most pronounced, the extended duration of heat could have a cumulative detrimental effect on folks without air conditioning.”
Bumgardner said it will be a good week to check in on friends and neighbors who may be vulnerable to the heat.
People on the coast, meanwhile, will hardly notice any heat whatsoever. Temperatures along the central Oregon coast are expected to reach the upper 60's to lower 70's next week.
