UPDATE: Gov. Kate Brown has declared a state of emergency due to the heat wave predicted to hit much of the state this week. The governor has directed the Oregon Department of Emergency Management to coordinate with local and tribal governments to respond to the extreme temperatures, which could top 100 degrees for several days in a row.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Forecasters say Oregonians should prepare for a heat wave that’s expected to peak later this week.
Triple digit temperatures could arrive as soon as Wednesday, said Rebecca Muessle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland.
“It’s going to reach its most intense portion late in the week, on Thursday and Friday. We’re expecting temperatures to rise quite drastically,” she said.
And while highs might not reach the peaks recorded in late June, "it is definitely going to be hot,” said Muessle.
Overnight lows won’t provide a whole lot of relief, and could present a challenge for crews battling wildfires.
“As you get heated up like this, with very little overnight relief, and with conditions being very dry, you’ll experience those fuels drying even more, which makes them more combustible," said Muessle.
The heat wave is expected to peak on Friday, with some minor relief coming over the weekend.
Muessle said it's likely some places will break single-day temperature records, but there's little chance of setting a new all-time high temperature mark, as some Oregon communities did in June.
