Ridge of high pressure and offshore winds brought temperatures along the North Oregon Coast up into the mid 80s to mid 90s on August 25. Inland, temperatures on August 25-26 reached the upper 90s.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS PQR wrote it up.
Ridge of high pressure and offshore winds brought temperatures along the North Oregon Coast up into the mid 80s to mid 90s on August 25. Inland, temperatures on August 25-26 reached the upper 90s.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Portland, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 25, 8:50 AM PST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Portland OR
950 AM PDT Thu Aug 25 2016
.SYNOPSIS...A warming trend will continue across the region as
high pressure aloft builds over the region. A thermal trough of low
pressure will move over the Willamette Valley today and Friday,
which will bring easterly flow across the Cascades. This will
result in high temperatures over inland locations reaching into the
mid to upper 90s. The thermal trough will shift east late Friday
signaling a return to onshore winds Friday night and Saturday. A
persistent upper level trough will maintain onshore flow along with
more seasonably normal temperatures for at least the first half of
next week. Periods of light rain are also possible next week across
the northern part of the area.
&&
.SHORT TERM...(Today through Saturday Night)...Satellite imagery this
morning shows sunny skies across the region. Primary concerns for
the next couple days are warm temperatures today and tomorrow and
dry, windy conditions leading to high fire danger. Current heat
advisory and red flag warning cover these threats.
The upper level ridge of high pressure will maintain it's presence
over the region through Friday. The coupled with thermal low pressure
along the coast will produce easterly flow across the region which
will allow the warm temperatures to reach the coast. The thermal
trough of low pressure will shift eastward later today and be
oriented north-south along the Willamette Valley later this
afternoon resulting in temperatures rising well into the 90s for
valley locations. The thermal trough will hover over the Valley
tonight making for very mild overnight lows and relatively minimal
relief from today's high temperatures. Friday's high temperatures
will be similar to today's readings, except for the coast where it
will be a bit cooler under onshore flow as the thermal trough moves
eastward. The thermal trough axis will move east of the Cascades
Friday night and bring relief from the heat as onshore flow
increases across the region. Additionally, a southerly stratus
surge will bring a return of fog and low clouds to the coast.
Saturday and Saturday night will be 10-15 degrees cooler as the
upper level ridge of high pressure is displaced by a weak weather
disturbance dropping south from British Columbia. tw
.LONG TERM...(Sunday through Wednesday)...No changes. General period
of troughiness settles in to the PacNW by the latter part of the
weekend and into early next week. This will bring cooler
temperatures, cloudiness, and chances for showers to the area. The
best chance of showers will be for far NW Oregon and SW Washington
as well as marine areas Sunday evening through Monday as a weak low
forms off the coast on Sunday night and moves into Vancouver Island
on Monday night. There are still timing and strength differences
between the ECMWF and GFS, but either way, confidence in
precipitation is high enough to introduce PoPs during the period
with highest chance during the day on Monday. /Bentley
&&
.AVIATION...VFR today and tonight across NW Oregon.
KPDX AND APPROACHES...VFR today and tonight.
&&
.MARINE...High pressure will remain over the northeast Pacific
through Friday, with a trough of low pres along the coast.
This will continue to bring north winds to the coastal waters,
strongest over the southern waters from the late afternoon into
tonight. With a small short period swell, seas will remain choppy in
the 3 to 7 ft range through fri. A weak area of low pres will set up
along the British Columbia coast over the weekend bringing sub small
craft advisory level winds and continued benign seas under 7 ft.
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Red Flag Warning from noon today to 9 PM PDT this evening for
Central Oregon Cascade Foothills-Central Oregon Coastal
Strip-East Slopes of the Central Oregon Coast Range-Mt.
Hood National Forest -West of Cascade Crest-North Oregon
Cascade Foothills-North Oregon Coast-North Oregon Coast
Range-Willamette National Forest-Willamette Valley.
Heat Advisory from 2 PM this afternoon to 8 PM PDT Friday for
Cascade Foothills in Lane County-Central Coast Range of
Western Oregon-Central Columbia River Gorge-Central
Willamette Valley-Coast Range of Northwest Oregon-Greater
Portland Metro Area-Lower Columbia-Northern Oregon Cascade
Foothills-South Willamette Valley-Upper Hood River Valley-
Western Columbia River Gorge.
WA...Red Flag Warning from noon today to 9 PM PDT this evening for
Clark County Lowlands-East Willapa Hills-Extreme South
Washington Cascades-South Washington Coast Including The
West Willapa Hills.
Heat Advisory from 2 PM this afternoon to 8 PM PDT Friday for
Central Columbia River Gorge-Greater Vancouver Area-I-5
Corridor in Cowlitz County-South Washington Cascade
Foothills-Western Columbia River Gorge-Willapa Hills.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory for winds from 3 PM this afternoon to 3 AM
PDT Friday for Waters from Cascade Head to Florence OR
from 10 to 60 nm.
&&
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This discussion is for Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington from
the Cascade crest to 60 nautical miles offshore. The area is commonly
referred to as the forecast area.2 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Temperatures in the mid 80s to mid 90s lead to people seeking relief at local rivers, lakes, and beaches. One swimmer drowned at Siltcoos Lake south of Florence during this event.
News reported 8 runners were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries during the Hood-to-Coast relay through Portland.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat, Northern Oregon Coast | 2016-08-25 | 78 | Male | In Water | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, August 2016
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 654363, 654375.