Sunday, August 2, 2009

Portland Breaks All-Time Heat Wave Record
90 Degrees Plus for 9th Consecutive Day



Images (click to enlarge): Temperature at 5 pm PDT, August 2, from Unisys; Portland, Oregon temperature, dewpoint, and relative humidity, July 23-Aug. 2, from National Weather Service

For previous record temperature posts, see:
Record Heat
Record Cold


By 4 pm PDT today, the temperature at Portland, Oregon had reached 91°. The high as of 5 pm was 93°, and at 6 pm, the reading had climbed again to 94°. This is the 9th consecutive day that Portland has reached or exceeded 90°, an all-time record. The previous record of 8 days was set August 12-19, 1967. The record streak is forecast to end tomorrow with a high of 85°. Yesterday's high was also a record for August 1:
PORTLAND BROKE THEIR DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD FOR AUGUST 1 ON 
SATURDAY...WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 95 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS HIGH
TEMPERATURE RECORD FOR AUGUST 1 IN PORTLAND WAS 93 DEGREES...SET
BACK IN 1986.
Although the peak of the heat wave last week fell 1° short of the all-time record high, several records for daily average temperature were set. The month of July overall was also the second hottest month ever in Portland:

WHILE PORTLAND FELL JUST SHY OF THE ALL-TIME HOTTEST MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE ON RECORD OF 107 DEGREES JULY 28TH AND JULY 29TH...
THEY DID EXPERIENCE THE HOTTEST TWO FULL CALENDAR DAYS ON RECORD.
THE DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ON THESE DAYS WERE WARMER THAN ANY
DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE ON RECORD...DATING BACK TO 1926. THE DAILY
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IS THE MEAN OF THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE FOR A PARTICULAR CALENDAR DAY. THE UNUSUALLY WARM NIGHTS
IN THE LOWER TO MID 70S HELPED PUT PORTLAND OVER THE TOP IN THIS
CATEGORY.

THE NEW TOP 10 HOTTEST DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR PORTLAND ARE...

1. 90 DEGREES - JUL 28 2009 .... NEW ....
2. 89 DEGREES - JUL 29 2009 .... NEW ....
3. 87 DEGREES - JUL 17 1941
4(T). 86 DEGREES - JUL 27 2009 .... NEW ....
4(T). 86 DEGREES - JUL 28 1998
4(T). 86 DEGREES - JUL 27 1998
4(T). 86 DEGREES - AUG 9 1981
4(T). 86 DEGREES - AUG 8 1981
4(T). 86 DEGREES - AUG 17 1977
4(T). 86 DEGREES - JUL 16 1941

(T) DENOTES A TIE

SINCE THREE OF THE TOP FOUR HOTTEST AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURES WERE
SET DURING THE 2009 HEAT WAVE OF JULY 27-29...THIS EASILY MAKES IT
THE HOTTEST 3-DAY PERIOD IN PORTLAND HISTORY...DATING BACK TO 1926.

THE NEW TOP 4 HOTTEST 3-DAY PERIODS IN PORTLAND HISTORY ARE...

1. 88.0 DEGREES - JUL 27-29 2009
2. 86.7 DEGREES - JUL 28-30 2009
3. 85.7 DEGREES - JUL 15-17 1941
4. 85.3 DEGREES - AUG 8-10 1981

JULY 2009 GOES DOWN IN THE BOOKS AS THE SECOND HOTTEST MONTH ON
RECORD FOR PORTLAND...DATING BACK TO 1926. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2009 WAS 73.6 DEGREES. THE EXISTING RECORD
HOTTEST JULY IS 74.1 DEGREES...SET BACK IN 1985...WHICH ALSO STANDS
AS THE HOTTEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR ANY MONTH ON RECORD FOR
PORTLAND.

HOTTEST MONTHS ON RECORD FOR PORTLAND
=============================================
1. 74.1 DEGREES - JULY 1985
2. 73.6 DEGREES - JULY 2009 .... NEW ....
3. 72.9 DEGREES - AUGUST 1967
4. 72.3 DEGREES - AUGUST 1986
5. 72.1 DEGREES - AUGUST 1981


JULY 2009 ALSO TIES FOR THE FOURTH HOTTEST MONTH ON RECORD FOR
SALEM...DATING BACK TO 1892.

HOTTEST MONTHS ON RECORD FOR SALEM
=============================================
1(T). 72.0 DEGREES - JULY 1941
1(T). 72.0 DEGREES - JULY 1906
3. 71.6 DEGREES - AUGUST 1967
4(T). 71.2 DEGREES - JULY 2009 ... NEW ...
4(T). 71.2 DEGREES - JULY 1958

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