Ridge of high pressure brought excessively hot temperatures to Southwest Washington.
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 brought excessively hot temperatures to Southwest Washington.
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 18, 1:10 PM PST, 50 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Portland OR
210 PM PDT Thu Aug 18 2016
.SYNOPSIS...The beginning of a stretch of hot weather started today
and will continue into the weekend. Increasing offshore east winds
will develop tonight and Friday which will usher in a significant hot
period across Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon. Onshore flow
returns Sunday and temperatures will gradually cool down closer to
seasonal normals early next week.
&&
.SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Sunday). Temperatures are on pace to
blow past record highs with temperatures already near 90 at 1pm.
Highs will top out at or slightly below 100 degrees at most valley
locations this afternoon/evening. Offshore flow strengthens tonight
and will result in downsloping off the Cascades. This will dry and
warm our airmass further on Friday and into Saturday. In addition,
this stronger offshore flow will allow even beach locations to rise
above 90 degrees on Friday. With the potential for secondary
downsloping off of the coast range, would not be surprised if
temperatures along the coast end up being even hotter than forecast,
but am not confident enough in this scenario to go any warmer than
mid 90s.
Thermal low will sit almost directly overhead on Saturday for the
first half of the day before shifting east of the Cascades late in
the day bringing onshore flow and ending the period of heat. The
onshore flow will arrive early enough in the day on Saturday to spare
coastal areas from another day of heat, but it won't arrive until
near or after peak heating for valley locations.
As the thermal low shifts east Saturday night, there may be a brief
period of a southerly wind reversal in central Oregon which may be
the catalyst for some marine stratus pushing into the Willamette
Valley from the south. This will be most likely down by Eugene, but
may even push as far north as Salem. Onshore flow and falling temps
aloft will bring relief to the area on Sunday with high temperatures
~15 degrees cooler than Saturday. /Bentley
.LONG TERM...(Sunday night through Thursday)...An upper level trough
will continue to move across the Pac NW early next week. Onshore
flow will usher in a cooler air mass, with seasonal temps expected
Monday and Tuesday. Periods of low stratus along the coast and
locally in the interior is also expected. Upper level ridging likely
returns on Wednesday which will bring warmer temps and the possible
return of near 90 degree weather by Thursday. Dry conditions
continue through the long term period. /64
&&
.AVIATION...High pressure and increasing offshore winds should
bring predominantly vfr conditions to all taf sites through 00z
Saturday.
KPDX AND APPROACHES...High pressure and north to east winds will
bring vfr conditions through 00z Saturday. /Neuman
&&
.MARINE...Northerly winds of 15 to 25 kt and steep and hazardous
seas around 9 ft with a dominant period around 9 seconds will
continue across the outer waters through late tonight,
particularly beyond 30 nm offshore. Gusty winds of 25 kt may
spread into the inner waters late this afternoon and evening, but
confidence is not high these winds will materialize. Will keep
current small craft advisories in place for now.
Expect additional rounds of 25 kt wind gusts Friday and Friday
night as winds temporarily turn more north to northeasterly. High
pressure returning more squarely to the northeast Pacific late in
the weekend and early next week should bring a return to gusty
afternoon and evening northerly winds, particularly across the
central Oregon waters. /Neuman
&&
.Fire Weather...not much has changed. Still rather prime conditions
for fast moving brush fires this afternoon into this evening, thanks
mostly to dry and warm conditions combined with dry finer fuels and
bit of wind. Red Flag Warning remains in effect for the Willamette
Valley for such conditions.
Main action develops later tonight as thermal trough shift westward
across the region tonight, and sits close the coast. This combined
with strengthening high east of the Cascades will bring gusty
easterly winds to the region later tonight through Friday night.
Will also see rather low overnight humidity and mild temperatures,
especially over the Coast Range and Cascades Foothills. So, will
maintain Red Flag Warnings for most of the region for that time
frame due to the dry forests...gusty winds and very warm and dry air
mass. Thermal will shift east across the region on Saturday, but
will still be a rather hot day. Only difference will be much less
wind. Cooler conditions flood into the region on Sunday, with more
seasonable humidity and temperatures. Rockey.
&&
.CLIMATE...Record breaking temperatures are possible through
Saturday as the region will experience excessive heat. The forecast
confidence is higher for the inland locations than the coast,
especially on Saturday where the timing and location of coastal
clouds can make a 20 to 30 degree difference in the coastal
temperatures.
In the table below, 'FCST' means the current Forecast, 'T' is the
High Temperature, and 'REC' means daily record high temperature. The
year listed is the year the record was last set or tied. TJ
LOCATION THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
FCST T/REC(YEAR) FCST T/REC(YEAR) FCST T/REC(YEAR)
Astoria, OR 84 / 86 (2015) 95 / 91 (1939) 83 / 95 (1915)
Newport, OR 69 / 73 (1944) 88 / 95 (1939) 69 / 89 (1966)
Portland, OR 99 / 96 (2015) 100 / 97 (2015) 101 / 96 (2011)
Vancouver, WA 97 / 96 (2015) 99 / 98 (2009) 99 / 96 (1951)
Salem, OR 100 / 97 (1967) 103 / 99 (2009) 101 / 98 (1951)
Eugene, OR 100 / 98 (1950) 103 / 101(2009) 101 / 99 (1951)
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Red Flag Warnings for tonight through early Saturday evening
for much of northwest Oregon.
Heat Advisory until 9 PM PDT Saturday for Central Columbia
River Gorge-Upper Hood River Valley.
Excessive Heat Warning until 9 PM PDT Saturday for Cascade
Foothills in Lane County-Cascades in Lane County-Central
Coast Range of Western Oregon-Central Willamette Valley-
Coast Range of Northwest Oregon-Greater Portland Metro
Area-Lower Columbia-Northern Oregon Cascade Foothills-
South Willamette Valley-Western Columbia River Gorge.
Heat Advisory from noon to 9 PM PDT Friday for Central Oregon
Coast-North Oregon Coast.
WA...Red Flag Warning for later tonight through Saturday evening
for much of southwest Washington.
Heat Advisory until 9 PM PDT Saturday for Central Columbia
River Gorge.
Excessive Heat Warning until 9 PM PDT Saturday for Greater
Vancouver Area-I-5 Corridor in Cowlitz County-South
Washington Cascade Foothills-Western Columbia River Gorge-
Willapa Hills.
Heat Advisory from noon to 9 PM PDT Friday for South Washington
Coast.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory for winds until 5 AM PDT Friday for Waters
from Cape Shoalwater WA to Florence OR from 10 to 60 nm.
Small Craft Advisory for hazardous seas until 5 AM PDT Friday
for Waters from Cape Shoalwater WA to Florence OR from 10
to 60 nm.
Small Craft Advisory for Rough Columbia River Bar from 4 AM to
8 AM PDT Friday.
Small Craft Advisory for winds until midnight PDT tonight for
Coastal Waters from Cape Shoalwater WA to Florence OR out
10 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.1 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Temperatures around 100 degrees lead to people seeking relief at local rivers. One drowning was reported at Paradise Point State Park west of La Center during this hot spell.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excessive Heat, Southern Washington Cascade Foothills | 2016-08-20 | 5 | Female | In Water | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, 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: 652604.