Oregon has enjoyed cooler days over the past week, thanks to low pressure from the Gulf of Alaska. By Wednesday, extremely hot weather is expected to return.
Andy Bryant is with the National Weather Service. He says people should be prepared for above average temperatures later this week:
Bryant: “In the south Willamette Valley, we have a forecast high on Thursday of 100 for Eugene. It looks like it’s going to be hot all throughout western Oregon.”
The heat wave is predicted to last until the weekend, with highs in the lower 90's after that. The coast will be the coolest place in the state, with highs expected in the 70's.
Longer term, Bryant says an El Nino is developing, and is expected to strengthen into the fall. An El Nino is a mass of warmer water in the Pacific Ocean. Bryant says it sometimes produces more rain in the northwest, but not always. What most El Nino’s do bring, is a warmer winter.
Bryant: “The news about El Nino for this coming winter is really not good news for ski areas in the Cascades.”
The predicted El Nino follows a record low year for snowpack in Oregon.
