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; 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.
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 7, 7:11 PM PST, 4 hours 49 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
811 PM PDT Sun Aug 7 2022
.UPDATE...An upper ridge continues to build into the PacNW from an
extension of the ridge off a closed upper high pressure system
that is centered over the four corners region. This is bringing
hot air into the forecast area with increasing 850 mb temperatures.
This will result in hot temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, with
Monday being the hottest day. Moisture and instability will also
increase from the south as the flow aloft becomes deep southerly
between the upper ridge and a large closed upper low pressure
system off the coast. This will result in a slight chance to a
chance of afternoon thunderstorms, mainly over central OR and the
John Day Highlands on Monday. These thunderstorms will extend
northward almost to north central OR on Monday. Thunderstorms
will also be possible on Tuesday afternoon and evening with
greater coverage. They will extend further north along the
Cascade east slopes into central WA, and also to the northeast to
as far as the southern half of the northern Blue Mountains and
the Foothills. Due to all of these conditions, a Heat Advisory is
in effect from noon Monday until 11 PM Tuesday for much of the
forecast area. A Red Flag Warning for thunderstorms with abundant
lightning is also in effect from 2 PM Monday to 9 PM PDT Tuesday
for fire weather zone 611, which is mostly the Deschutes National
Forest. Elsewhere, there will be a slight chance of rain showers
over northern areas, including the OR Lower Columbia Basin, north
central OR, the northern portions of the Blue Mountains and
Foothills, and the Lower Columbia Basin of WA.
The ensembles are in good agreement with the deterministic models
for the short term...through at least Tuesday. The new HREF is not
completely in, however, the previous run showed Paintball blotches
over these areas. It was showing the best areas for thunderstorms
on Monday to be over central OR, and then thunderstorms increase
in probability over the eastern and northeast mountains, as well
as further north along the cascades on Tuesday.
Winds will be light through Monday, except for some afternoon
locally breezy winds in the eastern Columbia River Gorge in the
afternoon and evening. This will be the case on Tuesday as well.
88
&&
.AVIATION...06Z TAFs...VFR conditions will prevail through the
next 24 hours. Winds will be mostly light at 10 kts or less except
possible afternoon and evening gusts at KDLS, KRDM, KBDN and KPDT
to 20 kts. Skies will be mostly clear this evening, but then high
thin clouds will move in to the area overnight. Cumulus development
will take place by 21Z at KRDM and KBDN in the afternoon and
evening on Monday. There will be isolated to scattered thunderstorms
in the vicinity of KRDM and KBDN, however, the probability is not
high enough to mention them in the TAF forecasts. 88
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 341 PM PDT Sun Aug 7 2022/
SHORT TERM...Sunday through Tuesday...Water vapor imagery showing
an offshore low centered off the coast of California beginning to
lift north-northeast up along the coast of the PacNW. This system
will undercut a broad ridge building over the area, which has
allowed temps across the forecast area to warm well into the 90s
this afternoon. Warming will continue Monday and Tuesday, with
low- end triple digits possible across the Basin and adjacent
lowlands. Heat advisory remains in effect starting Monday through
Tuesday night.
Visible satellite imagery already showing some cumulus buildup
occurring over southern Oregon as the oncoming offshore low begins to
pump moisture into the area. Noticed that 12z HREF was painting some
convection just southwest of Deschutes County, even though mid-level
moisture in the NAM and GFS was a bit lacking. Still expecting storm
activity to stay out of our forecast area for tonight, before
convection flares up more Monday afternoon. Forecast soundings
showing good inverted-V signal for central OR, with 12z HREF >40 DBz
paintball highlighting areas along the southern half of Deschutes
County into southern Crook County beginning 2pm Monday afternoon.
Felt good about issuing a Red Flag Warning for OR611, as low-
level moisture is low enough for storms tomorrow to primarily be
dry. Depending on how CAMs evolve over the next runs, the southern
half of 640 may need to be considered as well.
The RFW extends through Tuesday night, when models show the center
of the low right along the coast at the OR/CA border. Forecast
soundings showing a pretty moist environment, with PWATs climbing
toward 1.0-1.3 inches from central through north central OR into the
Basin. So while storm activity, which looks to spread up through
much of the forecast area during the day Tuesday, will be wetter in
nature, wasn't confident enough in excluding Tuesday from the RFW as
rains may not be quite wetting enough, with instability still
sufficient enough for frequent lightning. Outflow winds from storms
may also cause problems for ongoing and possible new fires. Models
still adjusting to QPF potentials for Tuesday, as the moisture aloft
is quite unseasonal considering the time of year, but have included
at least a mention of measurable precip for much of the CWA by
Tuesday night.
Models did back off on highs Tuesday, likely due to the oncoming
moisture advection and cloud cover, but much of the lower Basin
still looks to break through to triple digits in the afternoon.
Temps will then start to trend back toward seasonal values heading
into the midweek as SW flow behind this offshore low prevails over
the PacNW. Evans/74
LONG TERM...Wednesday through Sunday...Active weather expected
in the beginning of the forecast period. With the upper level
moisture from the previous day bringing with it some upper level
clouds and the ridge moving farther eastward, temperatures will
begin trending down to more seasonable and highs are expected to
be high 80s to low 90s with only a few local areas reaching up to
100. Locally breezy winds will also return as the low continues to
move north.
Wednesday the GFS, ECMWF and SREF models are finally in good
agreement showing the low pressure system that has been idle off the
coast slowly meandering north and closer to the coast. Winds are
still south to southwest as the high pressure ridge off to the
east is negatively tilting. Between the eastern edge of the low
and western edge of the ridge, the models are showing some mid
level moisture being whipped into the eastern portion of the CWA,
mainly over Wallowa County. This will bring some chances of
showers as well as thunderstorms over the area in the morning and
early afternoon. GFS and GEFS are showing CAPE values up to 400
J/kg area while the SREF and NAM are showing values above 500 J/kg
as daytime heating occurs. Thunderstorms will taper off by the
afternoon and skies will clear out.
As we move into Thursday and remaining period, the ECMWF/GFS models
continue to show the low moving farther to the north and stalling
again just off the Wa and B.C. coast before the models diverge
Saturday evening. The WPC Cluster analysis all in fairly good
agreement with little variation in strength and location. South to
Southwest winds will dominate over much of the region and
temperatures will moderate and hold relatively consistent through
the remainder of the forecast period. NBM and ensembles are showing
persistent high 80s to low 90s with dry conditions and the normal
locally breezy areas. Bennese/90
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 60 102 66 99 / 0 0 0 10
ALW 63 104 69 102 / 0 0 0 0
PSC 62 104 69 103 / 0 0 0 0
YKM 58 102 64 101 / 0 0 0 10
HRI 62 106 68 103 / 0 0 0 10
ELN 59 103 65 101 / 0 0 0 10
RDM 56 98 60 97 / 0 10 30 20
LGD 56 100 63 100 / 0 0 0 10
GCD 60 102 64 99 / 0 0 20 20
DLS 68 104 70 100 / 0 0 10 10
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Heat Advisory from noon Monday to 11 PM PDT Tuesday for ORZ041-
044-049-050-503-505-507-508.
Red Flag Warning from 2 PM Monday to 9 PM PDT Tuesday for ORZ611.
WA...Heat Advisory from noon Monday to 11 PM PDT Tuesday for WAZ024-
026>029-521.
&&
SHORT TERM...88
LONG TERM....90
AVIATION...88The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
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 Dayton GHCN site recorded temperatures that met or exceeded excessive heat warning criteria on Aug. 9th.
Calculated heat risk values at the Kennewick GHCN met or exceeded excessive heat warning criteria on Aug. 9th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, 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: 1053494, 1053492, 1053495.