People cool off in the Willamette River at Wallace Marine Park on Saturday, June 26. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Salem recorded triple digit temperatures Saturday afternoon, with local temperature peaking at a record 105 at 4:56 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Records were set throughout the Willamette Valley, with the Portland Airport hitting 109.
Temperatures in the Salem area didn’t fall overnight Friday as much as forecasters had anticipated, leading to hotter temperature estimates for Saturday.
Forecasters have revised Sunday’s expected high up to 112 degrees, with a chance of going even higher. At 5 a.m. Sunday, Salem had reached its low – 73.
“It’s a little bit of unusual territory for everyone in this office,” said David Bishop, a meteorologist National Weather Service in Portland. He said the unprecedented nature of the heat wave was making forecasting more challenging.
Forecast bottom line: “After nearing monthly heat records on Saturday and possibly all-time heat records on Sunday, temperatures will struggle to fall below 70 degrees in many areas at night.”
The high in Salem on Friday was 94. An excessive heat warning has been extended through 11 p.m. Monday.
Here is the latest forecast as of Saturday afternoon:
Sunday, June 27
High: 112 degrees
Low: 73 degrees
Record high: 99 degrees (set in 2000)
Monday, June 28
High: 106 degrees
Low: 64 degrees
Record high: 101 degrees (set in 2008)
Tuesday, June 29
High: 93 degrees
Low: 63 degrees
Record high: 99 degrees (set in 1951)
Our HEAT WAVE stories for you:
Know when to seek medical attention for heat-related illness
Here’s where you can stay cool in the deadly heat this weekend
As health agencies advise staying inside, farmworkers will be on the job around Salem
Meals on Wheels delivers fans to elderly in need
Air conditioners sold out in Salem area ahead of heat wave
How to protect your pets during the heat wave
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
