An upper level ridge of high pressure once again developed over the region, resulting in several mountain zones experiencing maximum high temperatures 95 degrees or greater over consecutive days.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 PDT wrote it up.
An upper level ridge of high pressure once again developed over the region, resulting in several mountain zones experiencing maximum high temperatures 95 degrees or greater over consecutive days.
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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 29, 9:32 PM PST, 2 hours 28 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
1032 PM PDT Mon Aug 29 2022
.UPDATED AVIATION DICUSSION...
&&
EVENING UPDATE... Current satellite is showing some high clouds
sweeping across most of the region. Minimal changes to the grids
this evening, just an addition of haze near the fires in the Wallowa
Mountains, Malheur Forrest south of Prairie City and the haze
spilling over from the fires west of the Cascades into the Or
Cascade foothills. Otherwise a quick recap, there is a slight chance
of thunderstorms tomorrow in the late afternoon through early
evening over the Ochoco-John Day Highlands. Confidence in them
occurring is low due to the lack of significant moisture in the
ensembles and models. Elsewhere, calm and dry conditions will
persist through the immediate forecast. Bennese/90
PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 246 PM PDT Mon Aug 29 2022/
SHORT TERM...Tonight through Wednesday Night...A ridge of high
pressure will be the main feature of the next few days and hot
weather is expected beginning tomorrow. Temperatures will be in
the mid 90s to around 103 both days with upper 80s and 90s in the
mountains. Tomorrow will be the hotter day in the Columbia Gorge
and down into central Oregon then on the Wednesday the heat will
shift a bit east with areas near the Cascades a bit cooler and the
Columbia Basin getting a couple of degrees hotter. Have issued a
heat advisory for the Columbia Gorge for tomorrow's highs will be
around 99-102 there. For Wednesday for have issued a heat
advisory for the Columbia Basin zones and the Yakima and Kittitas
Valley for temperatures of 97-103. High temperatures are only
slightly cooler Thursday and Friday but overnight temperatures are
a few degrees cooler and the Heat Risk comes out lower, so did
not issue the heat advisory for those days.
Tomorrow will also see a subtle wave in the flow in the
afternoon and a couple of models have a slight chance of
thunderstorms over the Ochoco mountains around Paulina and Seneca,
so have added a slight chance of thunderstorms there tomorrow
afternoon. Do not except more than a couple of weak cells.
Wednesday will see a more substantial wave moving through a
southwesterly flow around an offshore trough riding over the ridge
and models have been indicating a slight chance of afternoon
thunderstorms over the Washington Cascades and have kept that from
earlier forecasts. There is some signs that it could also
generate a storm or two over the northern Blue Mountains but did
not have enough confidence to add a slight chance of thunderstorms
there. The short wave will also bring breezy winds to the
Kittitas valley and Columbia Gorge with westerly 15 to 25 mph
winds expected. Winds will decrease after sundown. Perry/83
LONG TERM...Thursday through Monday...The long term is
characterized by continued heat that could present a heat risk
that would warrant a continuation of heat products from the short
term, followed by a slight cooling over the weekend as the ridge
begins to breakdown a little bit, though models remain indecisive
on how much, along with some breezy conditions and possible fire
weather concerns.
The long term begins with heat continuing, lasting into possibly
Friday as the ridge remains in control of the region. This will
continue to push us into an abnormally warm start to September,
with high temperatures still nearing triple digits and overnight
lows in the mid to upper 60's for the low elevations. This remains
the primary weather concern, though the ridge may begin to weaken
on Friday and shift a bit further eastward thanks to deep low
pressure to the northeast. This would tighten the pressure
gradient across the region, and could bring breezy winds for the
day. With already low relative humidities expected, a chance at
increased red flag concerns is not out of the question, and will
need to be monitored.
By Saturday, deterministic guidance begins to separate, as the GFS
wants the ridge to break down a bit more and push further
southeast, bringing more zonal flow by early next week, whereas
the ECMWF has the ridge strengthening back up and keeping a firm
grip upon the Western US. The European solution seems the more
reasonable of the two unfortunately for those of you hoping Fall
would begin to show up, as ensembles reveal the GFS is struggling
to agree with its members. Cluster phase space analysis shows a
deep separation of the ensemble mean versus deterministic by
Monday, whereas the ECMWF remains much closer and in better
agreement with its members. Looks like summer is here to stay
folks, at least for the next week. Goatley/87
AVIATION...06Z TAFs...VFR conditions through the forecast period.
Currently CIGs at all sites are SKC, but CIGs will transition to
BKN250 for KDLS/KPDT/KRDM/KBDN overnight. Winds are variable and
between 2 and 6 kts and will remain as such through the period much
of the period. However, KPDT will see an increase in winds to around
10 kts by 18z while KRDM/KBDN will see an increase to around 10 kts
with gusts to 16 kts possible at 21Z. Bennese/90
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 58 97 62 98 / 0 0 0 0
ALW 60 99 65 100 / 0 0 0 10
PSC 62 99 66 101 / 0 0 0 10
YKM 60 96 64 100 / 0 0 0 10
HRI 60 100 64 101 / 0 0 0 10
ELN 58 96 62 97 / 0 0 0 10
RDM 53 95 56 94 / 0 0 0 0
LGD 56 97 60 100 / 0 0 0 0
GCD 59 100 62 101 / 0 10 10 0
DLS 65 101 68 98 / 0 0 0 0
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Heat Advisory from 11 AM to 9 PM PDT Tuesday for ORZ041.
Heat Advisory from 11 AM to 8 PM PDT Wednesday for ORZ044.
WA...Heat Advisory from 11 AM to 9 PM PDT Tuesday for WAZ024.
Heat Advisory from 11 AM to 8 PM PDT Wednesday for WAZ026>028.
&&
SHORT TERM...83
LONG TERM....87
AVIATION...90The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
The Eden RAWS recorded consecutive maximum daily high temperatures of 95 degrees or greater on Aug. 30th and 31st.
Multiple RAWS across the zone recorded consecutive maximum daily temperatures of 95 degrees or greater on Aug. 30th and 31st.
The Roberts Butte RAWS recorded consecutive maximum daily high temperatures of 95 degrees or greater on Aug. 30th and 31st.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, August 2022
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: 1053516, 1053517, 1053518.