In Portland, Ore., a heat wave has been going on for a week, with a record high for the day on July 26 at 102 degrees, said Lisa Criderman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland. Sunday was the seventh straight day in Portland that temperatures reached 95 degrees or higher, breaking the previous record of six straight days. Temperatures were 90 or higher for eight straight days, still below the 10-day record set in 2009. Temperatures in Portland also have yet to reach last summer’s record high of 116 degrees, but this recent heat wave has lasted longer. Cool air from the coast keeps humidity levels higher, so temperatures don’t rise as much. That compares with last year, when air was coming to Portland from drier Central Oregon, Ms. Criderman said. “This one doesn’t get as hot, but the above-average temperatures last longer,” he said. The region is expected to cool down by Thursday and then warm up again on Friday and into the weekend, Ms Criderman said. The high temperature is expected to be 87 degrees on Tuesday, 86 on Wednesday, 78 on Thursday and 83 on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
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Last month was the fourth warmest July on record in Portland at 73.7 degrees, measured by the average temperature. The average high was 85.7 and the average low was 61.8, which was the highest on record, Ms Kriederman said. The Multnomah County coroner said Sunday that he is investigating two additional deaths possibly related to the heat wave, bringing the total number of heat-related deaths to five. The Clackamas County Coroner’s Office said Saturday it is investigating the death of an elderly man as possibly heat-related. About 200 miles east of Portland, in Pendleton, Ore., the temperature reached 111 degrees Friday, said Larry Nirenberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pendleton. Through Sunday, Pendleton had recorded seven days with temperatures above 100 degrees, he said. Smoke from the McKinney wildfire in Northern California caused temperatures in Pendleton to drop from 110 degrees Saturday to 101 Sunday. Smoke from the wildfires acts like clouds, blocking the sun from coming through for a few hours, Mr. Nierenberg said. Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and West Richland in southeast Washington had similar patterns, with a high of 112 on Friday. Temperatures have reached 100 or more on eight straight days. That area remained under an extreme heat warning as of Monday afternoon. Over the past week, Pendleton and Southeast Washington as a whole have been about 10 to 20 degrees above normal average, which is in the low 90s for Pendleton and slightly higher in the cities, said Mr. Nierenberg. In eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle, average July temperatures fell short of a record, said Daniel Butler, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane, Washington. But there were four days in a row where the high temperature reached or exceeded 100 degrees in Spokane, he said. The record for consecutive days of temperatures of 100 degrees or more — six — was set in 1928. While the recent heat wave did not bring the hottest days on record, the heat lasted longer, Mr Butler said. “It’s been quite impressive – the longevity of this event,” he said.