Wilted Roses
THE FOLLOWING BLOG WAS WRITTEN ORIGINALLY FOR THE WEATHER CHANNEL AND WAS TO HAVE BEEN POSTED ON THEIR WEBSITE THURSDAY, JULY 30. TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES PREVENTED THAT FROM HAPPENING, SO I’VE POSTED THE BLOG HERE
In a few days I’ll be heading out to the Rose City, Portland, Oregon, for a high school reunion. (Never mind its number.)
By the time I get there, I suspect things should be back to normal in terms of temperature. Portland, as you’re probably aware, has been in the headlines recently. As of this morning, July 30th, the city has had three consecutive days of 100-degree-or-more heat. It’ll make a run at number four this afternoon.
Yesterday and Tuesday, the mercury soared to 106 degrees, one degree short of the city’s all-time record. Yesterday, several spots in the metro area, including Vancouver, across the Columbia River in Washington, skyrocketed to 108.
Farther north, the heat took no prisoners in western Washington, where Seattle smashed its all-time record by three degrees; SeaTac Airport hit 103. In southwest Washington, between Olympia and Longview, it was even hotter. Chehalis reported 111, Winlock, 110.
Hot is hot, of course. But the one redeeming factor about Northwest heat waves is that they lack the debilitating humidity of their Midwestern and Eastern cousins. Yes, dewpoints in the 60s are uncomfortable, but don’t compare to, for instance, what Chicago suffered in July 1995 when the temperature sizzled up to a record-smashing 106.
Yesterday, when the thermometer in Portland read 106, it felt like 106 or maybe even 105. Undeniably hot. But in Chicago on that 106-degree day in ‘95, the heat index at O’Hare reached 119, at Midway, 125. A lot of people died. I just happened to be in the Windy City that day, and still remember the jungle-like heat.
I was reminded of it quite palpably on a trip to St. Simons Island, Georgia, a few weeks ago. The day my wife and I drove onto the island the heat index registered 118. It was awful.
But back to Portland for a moment. I don’t recall as a kid growing up there that 100-degree weather came along as often as it seems to now. I’ll admit, however, that my memory bank may have blown some fuses. So I did a little excavating, trying to dig out some hard data.
This is what I came with:
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries–no, I wasn’t growing up in the city then–100-degree-or-more heat occurred in only about one out of every 10 summers.
During the mid-20th century–okay, I was around then–such events happened in about 4 out of every 10 summers.
More recently, since 1965, the frequency has increased to almost 7 out of every 10 years.
The effects of urbanization? Probably not. The airport, where official records are kept, sits on the banks of the Columbia River where there isn’t room for a lot buildout. Besides, urbanization is more likely to effect minimum temperatures than maximum.
So, while the current blistering heat in the Rose City is not unprecedented, it does appear to be a more frequent visitor of recent.
UPDATE, AUGUST 2: July 2009 was the second hottest month on record in Portland with an average temperature of 73.6. Yesterday, August 1, the high temperature soared to a record 95, making it the eighth consecutive day with a maximum of 90 or more which ties the mark for such days. Today, if the forecast is on target–91 is the predicted high–will break the record.
Photo: Portland, Oregon, The Rose City
The city of Portland with Mt. Hood in the background, 50 miles to the east.