Friday as I wrote this column, I saw a memory of mine on social media where I remarked, “It is noon, and it is a blooming 86 degrees already.” That was Sept. 6, 2014 and it went on to reach 95 degrees that day. We had four days of 90 degrees that month and an amazing 94 degrees on Sept. 20, which is quite late in the month for that high temperature.
We certainly are having some impressive days of hot temperatures. In Tuesday’s column I told you Vancouver had reached 100 degrees three times in the period of records since 1891. Well, evidently the smoke overhead Thursday was thick enough to keep our official high at 99 degrees. Portland airport across the river topped out at 102 degrees, setting a couple of records. I know from glancing at many other weather stations around Clark County that most were 100 degrees or higher.
It was hot enough and with the smoky skies overhead, which even reached our noses at times, you could smell a pungent odor, it was not a good day to be outside for sure. Friday the warm air was slowly moving away from us but still hot enough to keep us hot with highs in the upper 90s and close to the century mark. Today we begin the cooldown, but I think we will still be near 90 degrees, and one should see the skies slowly clearing although we will have some higher clouds. Sunday and Monday we’ll see highs into the 80s, which will feel most pleasant.
As far as any storm activity we have two weather systems to discuss. Friday there was an upper-level low spinning off the Northern California and Southern Oregon coast moving northeastward. Showers and thunderstorms were forecast mainly to our south and over the Cascades. There was a small chance a thunderstorm or brief rain showers would pass over Clark County today.
