If you’ve caught my forecast on KOIN Local 6 this week, you’ve heard me say it: “Saturday, it’s going to feel like someone flipped a switch and turned the heat on around here!”
That switch is a two step process–and it’s really going to increase fire danger everywhere west of the Cascades in a big hurry.
How Labor Day Weekend Suddenly Turns Hot
- Wall to wall sunshine. It’ll be here all three days of the Labor Day Weekend for inland areas–and probably through Sunday along the Coast.
- A breezy, and for some areas, a gusty east wind. This is like California’s Santa Ana Winds that turn LA into an oven. These winds actually generate heat as they crash down the mountains into the Willamette Valley. And they generate heat as they crash down the coast range onto our beaches.
This wind may start Friday night–and should be blowing hot and dry on Saturday. This will drop humidity levels down to about 15% — roughly half of what’s typical on a summer day in Portland. That actually sucks moisture out of vegetation and and increases it’s ability to burn. So let’s all be careful with fire this weekend!
Sunday, it looks like the east wind is weak or gone as we get into the day–but I expect us to kind of just ‘bake’ in these calmer conditions.
Both days will be in the 90s in the I-5 Corridor and 80s or even 90s are certainly possible along parts of the coast where this wind blows on Saturday. Sunday the coast should be much cooler although the morning could still be unusually warm before ocean breezes kick in.
At least this is true: you can camp and barbeque without getting rained out on a Northwest Holiday Weekend.
Isn’t that sweet?
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