PORTLAND, Ore. — The heat wave that blanketed Oregon during the Fourth of July weekend through Tuesday broke numerous records. Portland saw a total of five straight days of record-high temperatures.
For much of the state, including Portland, Tuesday's record highs were the hottest of the heat wave. The Rose City saw a high temperature of 104 degrees, while Salem reached triple-digit heat for a record fifth consecutive day, according to KGW meteorologist Rod Hill. Eugene tied the all-time hottest July temperature for the city with a high of 106 degrees.
The Fourth of July brought a high of 92 degrees in Portland. On July 5-6, temperatures rose to 99 degrees on both days before finally climbing to 100 degrees for the first time this summer on July 7. Highs on July 8 were 102 degrees, followed by 104 degrees on July 9. The 104-degree mark was the hottest clocked since the Portland International Airport reported 108 degrees in August 2023.
In total, Portland saw a streak of three days of highs at 100 degrees and above. That did not break the record for most consecutive days of triple-digit weather, which was set back in the summer of 1941 with five days of 100-degree heat.
Portland also set records for high overnight low temperatures on July 7 with 65 degrees, and again on July 8-9 with 67 degrees on both days.
Meanwhile, the Rose City will likely see its seventh day in a row of 90-degree heat or above on Wednesday, July 10, Hill said. The record for consecutive 90-degree or hotter days is 10.
The warmest high temperature in July in Portland stands at 107 degrees, set in 1965, according to Hill. The hottest all-time temperature is 116 degrees on June 28, 2021.
The "heat dome," or stagnant area of upper level high pressure, is slowly migrating toward the Rocky Mountains. As the upper high pushes east, Hill said the possibility of triple-digit temperatures across Oregon and Washington has ended.
"Areas east of the Cascades, including Portland, are already seeing a cooler temperature pattern with highs in the coming days around 90 degrees on average, still considered hot for our local region," Hill said on Wednesday.
Portland is forecasted to hit highs in the upper 80s on Thursday.