to record highs, and beyond!

 Dry season is one thing, but heat season is another beast entirely. And fear fire foes, it is upon us - several weeks sooner than usual!

As stated succinctly at Cliff Mass' blogsite, the forecast is consistently forecasting that high-temp records will break throughout the region. Even more bizarre, the expected changes that weather models make when a big event is closer to starting - well, the models have become even more certain of major heat! Usually when 110° shows up on the west side of the Cascades, a subsequent model shift removes it - but this event could be the exception.

Only the immediate coast is safe, as the thermal trough will sit atop the Willamette valley and allow the coast to remain at a mere 80° plus or minus. The valley itself will bake, and the Cowlitz and Puget areas are in on it as well. Monday was supposed to bring a reprieve, but models are even relenting on much of it; a low will dent the high but not remove it entirely. 

Portland's 107° and Kelso's 108° all-time records are at risk (see bottom of post), while June records could be set wherever airports actually keep records from Tacoma to Medford - and east side as well! Late June records in Portland are barely over 100° so the perfect (heat)storm has hit at a good time to leave its mark in the record books.

Thursday's WUnderground forecast for the hill-top. WU forecasts are often near the extremes - but it could happen this time!

So - this year's plan for planting a spring lawn is officially over. The one spot that I had plowed did not sprout (old grass seed) and the rain disappeared before the new seed was spread. Dry weather March-May, a week of drenching rain and now parching heat means it's going to be an autumn effort this year. Ah well.. the last big storm did allow for (exactly!) 100% of average rainfall for June. On to July!

In other news, that drenching rain filled a few containers outside that were not intended as such.  I was set to overturn one to keep the mosquito larvae from hatching out.. but the wriggling forms did not act in the appropriate way for proto-skeeters. 

That's because they are Tadpoles! 

Now to watch their new 'pond' and keep them cool through the hot spell.

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Update - Thursday evening forecast is a pinch cooler each day. Many new records will still be in the making at the lower temps, so trifling differences overall.

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Friday AM update: cooler end of period - but a bit warmer on Monday!

Also, an updated post at Cliff Mass' site.

Truth: Portland broke its all-time high record three times with 108, 112 then 116° Sat-Mon. Ugh! Kelso and Longview set new records at 109°, and also had three-day streaks of 100 or more (as did Seattle!). 

Here on the hill-top we hit 99.5 102.4 and finally 105.6° by 3PM Monday - then the west winds took over and we dropped to 61° at midnight. That evening low erased the morning minimum temp of 78.6 on Monday morning. When I was a child a low of 60 was awful. We hit mid-60s lows soon before leaving Portland. Now this one. 

Dreadful.