High pressure from the four corners region extended northward into the Pacific Northwest, which resulted in well above normal temperatures across the region for several days. Many stations saw temperatures exceed critical heat risk thresholds, while stations in some mountain zones saw high temperatures consecutively meet or exceed 95 degrees under the strengthening high pressure aloft.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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.
High pressure from the four corners region extended northward into the Pacific Northwest, which resulted in well above normal temperatures across the region for several days. Many stations saw temperatures exceed critical heat risk thresholds, while stations in some mountain zones saw high temperatures consecutively meet or exceed 95 degrees under the strengthening high pressure aloft.
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 6, 7:06 PM PST, 4 hours 54 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
806 PM PDT Sat Aug 6 2022
.UPDATE...The upper trough that brought some relief from the heat
is now departing the region. As it does, an upper ridge will build
into the PacNW on Sunday through Tuesday, bringing a return to hot
temperatures. Monday and Tuesday will be the hottest days in this
next heat wave. However, the heat wave is not expected to last
more than a couple of day, perhaps through Wednesday. Meanwhile,
an upper closed low pressure system off the coast will cause a
southerly flow to develop over the PacNW. This will pump hotter
air northward, but also some moisture and instability. So
therefore there will be some chances of thunderstorms, mainly over
the mountains, and central OR. Thunderstorms are forecast to
first to develop over southern Deschutes county in central OR on
Sunday. Thunderstorms are then expected to expand further around
central OR and the John Day Highlands on Monday afternoon and
evening, and again on Tuesday afternoon and evening. These two
days are going to be the hottest days this week. However, the
amount of clouds with the thunderstorms (and possibly haze and
smoke from regional wildfires) may act to suppress high
temperatures due to less solar heating. But still, these areas are
expected to have high temperatures in the mid 90s to around 100.
The hottest areas of the forecast area will be in the Lower
Columbia Basin and adjacent valleys, as well as the Blue Mountain
foothills. High temperatures on Monday and Tuesday are expected to
climb to above 100, to as high as 110 in the lowest spots. A Heat
Advisory is in effect from noon Monday through 11 PM Tuesday as a
result.
The Deterministic models are in good agreement with each other
through this period of hot temperatures. They are also in better
agreement to what happens to the upper low off the coast. That low
is expected to move northward along the coast on Wednesday and
Thursday. After that the deterministic models diverge very much by
the end of the week. The ensembles weaken this low as it moves
north and then northeast into Canada, and they are more consistent
with each other. 88
&&
.AVIATION...06Z TAFs...VFR conditions will continue through the
period. Winds will be less than 10 kts most of the time, but
there may occasional be some breezy winds of 10 to 20 Kts on
Sunday afternoon and evening, especially at KDLS, KRDM, KBDN, and
KPDT. Skies will be mostly clear with possibly a few high thin
cirrus. However, there may be lower cumulus buildups at KBDN and
KRDM Sunday afternoon as instability increases there. 88
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 408 PM PDT Sat Aug 6 2022/
SHORT TERM...Saturday through Monday...A shift in the synoptic
pattern is in store for us starting today, as a departing upper-
level trough to the east will allow a relatively flat, elongated
ridge to establish itself over the PacNW. Expecting Saturday to be
quiet and uneventful, but temperatures will start to warm up
beyond the century mark for much of the lower Basin and adjacent
lowlands Sunday onward, with the heat expected to peak Monday and
Tuesday. Heat advisories in effect for these areas Monday through
Tuesday night. HeatRisk tool suggests an excessive heat warning
could perhaps be justified for the lower Basin and Yakima Valley,
but considering the short duration of the heat, and the fact that
temps will not be as severe as last week's heat wave, have opted
to go with just an advisory instead, with the usual precautions of
avoiding strenuous outdoor activity when possible, and ensuring
heat- sensitive groups have the shelter and cooling they need to
endure the hot temperatures.
An offshore low just off the California coast has been stagnant
dating back to the past week, but models seem to finally be willing
to lift this system onshore across the PacNW in a north-northeast
track. The southerly to southwesterly flow ushered in by this system
will introduce intermittent chances for storms across central OR and
the nearby mountains through the early part of the work week, before
better chances for storms form by the midweek. We've been cutting
back on storm chances over the last several days as models
continuously adjust the amount of moisture advection and instability
feeding into central OR from this offshore low, but as of now
overall consensus across models appears to be for marginal chances
at best for storms in central OR starting Sunday night. Moisture
support in the mid-levels seems to be lacking on Sunday night,
before NAM and GFS cross-sections reveal 700-500mb RHs more
supportive for convection during the day Monday. Still, instability
across CAMs is lackluster, so do not believe any fire weather
headlines are necessary until at least Tuesday, when the system will
begin its onshore push and models have stronger consensus on storm
potential. Even then, the robust moisture advected in by this system
may introduce wetter storms over the forecast area.
Until then, main threat through the period will be the rising
temperatures through the middle of the work week, with marginal to
slight chances for thunderstorms around central OR Sunday night and
again during the day Monday. Despite the dry airmass overhead making
for low RHs, not expecting winds to be particularly breezy across
the forecast area until at least the middle of the work week, making
lightning the primary fire weather threat through the period.
Evans/74
LONG TERM...Tuesday through Saturday night...
HEAT ADVISORY WILL BE IN AFFECT MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT.
Active weather expected through the middle of the forecast period.
The closed low off the coast has finally begun to traverse towards
the shore. Southerly winds will dominate bringing with it the
chances of some moisture as well as increased temperatures.
Currently the ECMWF/GFS/NAM models are in fairly good agreement
regarding the position of the low.
Tuesday is expected to be the most active day in the period. ECMWF
EFI is showing that a good portion of the forecast area will once
again be above seasonal temperatures. Confidence is high in 100+
degree temperatures across the Columbia River Gorge, Basin and the
adjacent valleys as well as across the foothills of the Blues and
Wallowas. Some locations could see 105+ degrees, but only moderate
in confidence. ECMWF ENS members are in fairly good agreement with
the temperatures on Tuesday. Not only will temperatures be above
normal, models are showing the southerly flow is also pushing some
mid-upper level moisture into the region. GFS is showing CAPE values
of 400-500 J/kg, sufficient instabiity for a chance of
thunderstorms. The chances for thunderstorms will span across
Central Oregon, John Day-Ochoco Highlands Tuesday afternoon and will
be widespread across much of the CWA Tuesday night with the
exception of the Basin.
Wednesday the ECMWF/GFS models are showing the center of the low
closing in on the coast and winds shifting slightly to the
southeast. The ridge to the east is deepening and tilting a bit west
allowing a bit of moisture to again move into the region. With the
increase in cloud cover, the temperatures will trend a bit cooler
and thunderstorm chances decrease over much of the region except
Wallowa County. Slight chances of rain will be possible in Kittitas
County and Northwest Yakima as well as along the foothills of the
Blues/Wallowas. As daytime heating increases, instability over the
foothills of the Blues/Wallowas will increase allowing for a slight
chance of thunderstorms.
As we move into Thursday the ECMWF/GFS models begin to diverge but
both models show the low moving farther to the north as it begins to
weaken. The GFS shows it still off of the WA coast and a bit weaker
accompanied by some potential moisture. The ECMWF is showing the low
farther north, onshore and drier. With this, the remaining days in
the forecast period will become more seasonable with locally breezy
winds, with temperatures in the mid 90s and dry conditions.
Bennese/90
AVIATION...00Z TAFs...VFR conditions will continue through the
period. Winds will be less than kts most of the time, but there may
occasional breezy winds of 10 to 20 Kts this evening and again
Sunday afternoon, especially at KDLS, KRDM, KBDN, and KPDT. Skies
will be mostly clear with possibly a few high thin cirrus. 88
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 59 98 60 102 / 0 0 0 0
ALW 63 97 62 104 / 0 0 0 0
PSC 65 97 62 104 / 0 0 0 0
YKM 62 95 59 102 / 0 0 0 0
HRI 60 99 62 106 / 0 0 0 0
ELN 60 94 59 102 / 0 0 0 0
RDM 50 100 58 99 / 0 0 10 10
LGD 53 92 57 100 / 0 0 0 0
GCD 54 96 60 102 / 0 0 0 0
DLS 66 101 69 104 / 0 0 0 0
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Heat Advisory from noon Monday to 11 PM PDT Tuesday for ORZ041-
044-049-050-503-505-507-508.
WA...Heat Advisory from noon Monday to 11 PM PDT Tuesday for WAZ024-
026>029-521.
&&
SHORT TERM...88
LONG TERM....81
AVIATION...88The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
The Colgate RAWS recorded consecutive maximum daily temperatures of 95 degrees or greater on Aug. 8th and 9th.
The Salt Creek-Prineville RAWS recorded consecutive maximum daily high temperatures of 95 degrees or greater on Aug. 7th and 8th.
Calculated heat risk values at the Dallesport Airport GHCN site recorded temperatures that met or exceeded excessive heat warning criteria on the 8th.
Calculated heat risk values at the Pendleton Airport GHCN, the Pendleton Branch Experimental Station GHCN, and the Pilot Rock GHCN sites recorded several days between Aug. 8th through Aug. 10th of temperatures that met or exceeded excessive heat warning criteria.
The Eden RAWS recorded consecutive maximum daily high temperatures of 95 degrees or greater on Aug. 8th and 9th.
The Case RAWS recorded consecutive maximum daily high temperatures of 95 degrees or greater on Aug. 8th and 9th.
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: 1053483, 1053490, 1053485, 1053487, 1053488, 1053491.