PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Unseasonably warm weather will toast the Portland metro area Mother’s Day weekend as temperatures climb to the 90s. As hot as that might seem, it’s not as high as what other parts of the state will experience.
KOIN 6 News meteorologists predict the high temperature in Portland on Saturday will reach 92 degrees and on Sunday it could climb even higher to 93.
An excessive heat watch is in effect for the city, the Willamette Valley, Southwest Washington, the Central and Northern Oregon Coast and even in the Columbia River Gorge extending to Hood River.
But temperatures in those places aren’t expected to rise quite as high as they will in Southwest Oregon, where the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory.
Central Douglas County, Eastern Curry County and Josephine County, and Jackson County – including Medford and Ashland – are all included in the heat advisory, which lasts from noon Saturday to 11 p.m. Sunday.
“A period of near-record heat is expected over the west side of valleys Saturday into Sunday,” the National Weather Service wrote. “It will also be slow to cool off Saturday night, especially in more urban areas.”
KOIN Meteorologist Kelley Bayern said Medford will reach a high of 94 degrees on Saturday and 96 degrees on Sunday.
The Dalles is another part of the state that will experience some of the most extreme heat this weekend. On Saturday, the high will likely be 93 degrees, but on Sunday it drops to 90.
The National Weather Service reminds anyone in the area under the heat advisory to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room if possible and out of the sun, and to check up on relatives and neighbors.
Anyone searching for the coolest part of the state during this heatwave should head to Coos Bay Saturday where the high temperature will be 68 degrees. On Sunday, the coolest area will be Burns with a high of 73 and John Day with a high of 74.