Red Flag today leads into heat wave
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – National Weather Service Meteorologist Rob Brooks says the heat wave caused by a well-developed high pressure system is just getting started. A red flag warning for heightened fire danger due to winds, temperatures, and humidity is issued for the region today until 11 p.m. Then the warm-up will continue.
“The heat should build throughout the weekend with Sunday and Monday probably being the apex,” he said. “We’ll be looking at temperatures slowly rising into the upper 90s and in the 100s and possibly above 106 by far.”
The overnight lows will range from the upper 60s to mid-70s, Brooks said, allowing a slight window of relief. The Climate Center predicts the region’s weather will be hotter than normal for the next eight to 14 days.
“The models all kind of agree that we’re heading toward pretty close to a record for June and maybe even all-time records,” Brooks said. The June record at both the airport and downtown Pendleton was 109 degrees recorded in 2015. The all-time high at the Pendleton airport was 113 degrees on Aug. 4, 1961; while the all-time high in downtown Pendleton was 119 degrees on Aug. 10, 1898.
