Portland hit 116 degrees Monday afternoon, setting a new record high temperature for the third day in a row, according to the National Weather Service.
The high temperature at Portland International Airport had reached 116 degrees just after 5 p.m., surpassing the high of 114 that forecasters had predicted.
Monday’s record-setting temperatures broke Sunday’s record-setting high of 112 degrees. Sunday’s high had broken the 108 degree-record set Saturday, which broke the previous high of 107, first set in 1965.
Monday also marked the third consecutive day in Portland with triple-digit temperatures, setting a record for the most 100-plus degrees days in a row in Portland in the month of June.
Colby Neuman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Salem also saw a record high, hitting 117 on Monday — the warmest temperature since the city started keeping weather records in 1890. That surpassed the city’s record-high of 113 set Sunday.
Neuman noted that while individual car thermometers or signs outside local businesses may read slightly higher temperatures than the weather station, those are slightly inaccurate, as the sun warms them up more than the overall air temperature.
The heat wave began Friday, when a ridge of high pressure moved over the Pacific Northwest. With high pressure in the atmosphere, air is forced down, compressing it and warming it in a phenomenon known as subsidence. That warm air is then trapped in place by the high pressure in what is known, somewhat forbiddingly, as a heat dome.
While the heat is expected to subside somewhat Tuesday, the rest of the week will remain sunny and warm with high temperatures in the low 90s or high 80s.
Neuman said areas south and west of the Portland area, including Sheridan and Corvallis, were already seeing temperatures in the 80s, as a result of cool ocean air blowing in.
On Monday, officials from Portland Fire & Rescue announced a city-wide ban on all fireworks. Fire Chief Sara Boone said she recognized the impacts the ban would have, both on people hoping to celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July holiday and those who make a living selling fireworks, but she said the benefits outweigh the risks after months of drought and the recent heat wave.
“If we don’t take this proactive step now, I fear the consequences could be devastating,” Boone said in a statement. “It is not easy to make a decision like this so close to our national holiday but as Fire Chief I feel I have a higher responsibility to sometimes make unpopular decisions during unprecedented times to protect life, property and the environment.”
-- Jamie Goldberg; jgoldberg@oregonian.com; @jamiebgoldberg