Record heat likely Tuesday, followed by storms early Wednesday

Bend, Ore (KTVZ) – The above normal pattern will continue tomorrow as temperature readings will be in the 90s across the high desert.  The normal high for May 12^th is 66 degrees in Bend, and I am forecasting low 90s through the region.

Records for Tuesday may fall:

Bend record is 90° set in 1924; forecast is 91°. Record for Redmond is 88° set in 1988; forecast is 90°.

This heat will be a result of the large ridge of high pressure exiting to the east and an upper-level low arriving from the Pacific. The SW flow in between the two will import the heat allowing us to get well above normal.

Tuesday will be mostly sunny to start then as the day moves along the clouds arrive. The heat will be a one and done in the 90s as the low will bring in a much cooler air mass allowing temperatures to return to normal Wednesday. The issue with the major shift in temperatures will be the potential for thunderstorms.

Thunderstorms may develop overnight into Wednesday morning and will generate gusty winds along with the lightning. There may not be much moisture to work with, so some of the storms may be classified as “dry lightning” events. This means that the lightning is not accompanied by rain.  This poses another issue, the potential for new start up wildfires.

The lack of rain and the record heat will contribute to the increased potential for a fire to start.

Wednesday will start out with the storms, and some rain, but by the late afternoon time frame the showers clear off to the east.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed Central Oregon in the “General Thunderstorm Risk” category, meaning the storms will be present, but not severe.  Severe storms are defined by gusty winds near 60 mph and hail around 1” in diameter. The winds will be gusty ahead of some of the storms early Wednesday, but should remain below severe parameters. Still, lightning is dangerous no matter what the category the storms are in so stay alert.

Thursday brings back the dry weather as highs reach the low 70s. More of the same on Friday with winds picking up in the afternoon.

Saturday will be partly to mostly cloudy and some light rain is possible. The rain will linger across the Cascades most of the weekend so if you are planning a hike or ride, prepare for some wet conditions.

Please, Stay safe.

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