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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists are warning hundreds of thousands of people across two states of a "major" risk of heat-related illness later this week as above-normal temperatures persist across the Pacific Northwest.
Why It Matters
September 1 marks the first day of meteorological fall, though typical fall doesn't begin until September 22 at the Autumn Equinox. The end of summer has brought contrasting weather across the country. A cold front ushered in below-average temperatures in many states this week, dropping temperatures as far as 30 degrees below average for parts of the Central and Southern Plains, including Texas. Meanwhile, abnormally high temperatures have hit the Pacific Northwest and parts of Alaska, prompting heat-related weather alerts.
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What to Know
Dangerous heat will persist across parts of the Pacific Northwest this week, with NWS meteorologists warning more than 500,000 people in southern Washington and northern Oregon that extreme heat will "significantly" increase the risk of heat-related illness. Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 102 degrees.
The NWS office in Pendleton, Oregon, issued an extreme heat watch to go into effect on Tuesday morning. The watch will remain in place through Thursday evening.
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"Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures up to 102 degrees possible," the extreme heat watch said. "This will pose a major risk of heat-related illness."
NWS lead meteorologist Larry Nierenberg told Newsweek that average high temperatures for this time of year hover around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Areas impacted by the surge in temperatures include parts of north-central and northeast Oregon and cental, south-central, and southeast Washington. In some cases, daily high temperature records could be broken.
The NWS HeatRisk tool, which shows anticipated impacts of heat, anticipates the heat will peak on Wednesday and Thursday before beginning to dissipate by Friday. A "major" risk of heat-related illness is described as affecting "anyone without cooling/hydration as well as health systems and industries."
In some cases, an extreme risk will be in place.
Meanwhile, a heat advisory and extreme heat warning is already in place in central and northern Washington, with the heat advisory stretching into northwestern Idaho.
What People Are Saying
NWS Pendleton, Oregon, in an extreme heat watch: "Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat events. Extreme heat will significantly increase the risk of heat-related illnesses for much of the population, especially those who are heat sensitive and those without effective cooling or adequate hydration."
NWS in a Monday morning forecast: "Hot to extremely hot temperatures are in place much of this week across parts of California and the interior Northwest U.S."
What Happens Next
Heat will begin to dissipate on Friday. However, the NWS Climate Prediction Center temperature outlooks show that above-average temperatures will persist across the Pacific Northwest for the next eight to 14 days.
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