PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Portland is trying out an extended summer this October.
Of course, this type of weather will not last.
The month of October can be fierce. It is by far one of the quickest transitions from relatively warm to relatively cold around here. The average high temperature usually starts in the lower 70s and finishes in the upper 50s. That can be quite a shock when you’re coming off a warm start to fall. Which is exactly what is occurring this year. Not only is it warm, but we are near record warmth!
Below is a comparison between the first week of October this year and last year. We have had two days in the mid to upper 80s to start the month. The forecast has an above-average day through the rest of the week. Last year, we had our FINAL 70-degree day on October 2. The rest of the month, the warmest temperature that we brought in was in the upper 60s. It is clear that we have quite a warm spell over the Pacific Northwest. This is because of a warm air mass over the region due to a blocking ridge of high pressure.
HIGH TEMPERATURE FREQUENCY
These types of temperatures are not exactly common. Going back through the last 30 years, temperatures rarely approach the 80s, let alone the mid-80s in October. There is only a 1% chance for 85 or greater and a lot of the Willamette Valley did that two days in a row. You can see in the frequency graphic below, that even temperatures above 75 degrees don’t happen quite often. For those of you that are absolutely adoring this weather, use it wisely!
For the record, Portland should be hanging out at around 70 degrees now.
RECORD HIGH SLIDE
I mentioned above that we are approaching record warmth this week. In the last two days, Portland has stopped just shy of reaching the record high. However, we may have a few opportunities later in the week(end).
Why is this graphic interesting? Well, the record high temperatures at the start of the month are in the 90s and upper 80s. Notice by the end of the month that the RECORD high temperatures are in the lower 70s and upper 60s. It doesn’t seem like it would be too tough to top a record high of 69 degrees on October 30, but that’s the reality of our situation this time of the year. We will cool down.
For now, we have an awesome forecast this week. Just about each day this week will provide some sunshine and warmer temperatures. The coolest day will be Tuesday, due to a block of clouds that will be around in the morning. We are not expecting rain this week, but we are expecting some fog. We will have some of that each more, but mostly on Tuesday and Wednesday. We have sunny and warm days projected this weekend.
It may feel strange to hit up the pumpkin patch in shorts and a t-shirt, but it may also be a great memory.