Hot pattern in place and will last well into next week
A Heat Advisory is now in place for portions of Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties until Thursday. Each afternoon our temperatures will be in the upper 90s and low 100s.
Breezy conditions Saturday will be added to our forecast, increasing the risk of rapid or extreme fire growth. A Fire Weather Warning (formerly a Red Flag Warning) will be in place Saturday afternoon and evening for all three counties. Please be mindful of anything that can start a fire, it will spread rapidly in the hot, dry, and breezy weather.
Dangerously hot weather will persist through at least next Friday. The highs will be over 100° for the next five days in Bend and Redmond, which is going to be very dangerous. The temperatures in Bend and surrounding Central Oregon cities have been in the triple digit range before, but not this long and not very often.
The record for number of days over 100° in Bend is 4 days, which occurred in 2021, July 29th to August 1st. This forecast is calling for five days in a row, if we don’t hit 100 today. Redmond has a record 7 days in a row back in 2021 and 1968. This pattern of heat will dry out the region, lower the water table, probably push us back into a drought scenario and increase the chance of wildfires growing rapidly if ignited.
I am concerned about several aspects of this heat wave. The heat related illnesses are first to come to my mind along with the impact on your pets and livestock is concerning.
Another big issue and concern will be our fire weather behavior. Central Oregon fire danger will be dangerously high this season if we don’t get some rain when we come out of this hot period.
Stay hydrated, stay in the shade, never leave kids or pets in a vehicle, be aware of the high fire risks. Check on your neighbors from time to time.
Stay Safe and keep an eye on the alert banner at the top of the page for updates to the heat and fire alerts.
Don’t forget to download the KTVZ weather app to stay safe and informed.
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