EDITOR’S NOTE: Excessive Heat Warning – UNPRECEDENTED Heat Wave … triple digit temperatures in almost the entire state except for that tiny little strip of white on the Coast. The hordes of visitors are already here, and more will be coming from the red parts of the map to the white part of the map this weekend to take advantage of the giant free air conditioner called the Pacific Ocean. Stay safe, stay cool this weekend and please be extra cautious with the high fire danger – in fact, forego the campfires – it’s going to be too warm anyway, and everyone will breath easier. Pack your patience (and pack out your trash), use caution and pay attention while driving – no rush, enjoy the view and arrive alive.

By Gordon McCraw, Tillamook County Emergency Manager

Thursday, June 24, 2021, 09:00am

Weather

So today will be nearly a copy of the past few days, we start out with the marine clouds that will slowly burn back by the afternoon leaving mostly sunny skies, winds again westerly 5-10, the high near 70 today. The ridge of high pressure that will bring the heat wave will start to move towards the area from the west tonight, so we stay partly cloudy with light winds, the low near 54.

The headline for tomorrow says, Unprecedented Heat Wave for the Weekend, as the strong high pressure ridge builds in over the area. Tomorrow the warmup starts with highs in the mid 70s along the coast, mid to upper 80s in the Coast Range and into the 90s over in the valley.

The weekend can only be described as hot. By Saturday we get up to or near 80 at the coast, the upper 90s in the Coast Range, and the valley, well, in the hundreds with record highs expected in many areas.

Sunday looks to be the hottest with afternoon highs climbing into the mid 80s here, the Coast Range could see the low 100s while over in the valley, they could be up close to 110 degrees. While our nighttime lows over the weekend will be in the upper 50s to low 60s, over in the valley their lows, yes, lows will be in the 70s.

Because of all this, there is an Excessive Heat Warning from the Coast Range, thru the valley and into the Cascades effective from 10am Saturday thru Monday at 11pm. If you work outdoors or are participating in other outdoor activities over the weekend, know there is a potential for heat related illnesses so watch for heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Drink plenty of water and wear suntan lotion and take lots of breaks, in the air conditioning if able. Also, do NOT leave young children or pets in vehicles as the temperature will get dangerously high really fast. Remember to check on your older relatives and friends also to make sure they are okay. Finally, don’t forget to be extra careful while participating in water recreation in the lakes, rivers and ocean. We have already lost several people to the Rip Currents and boating incidents this year, plus, the rivers are extra low this year due to the lack of rain so look and think twice before diving into these possibly shallow waters. The bottom line, it’s gonna be really hot this weekend with lots of hazards, so be ready and be careful.

Monday, we see a low pressure area off the California coast move north that will push the ridge east some and also weakens it a little so we cool back down into the 70s Monday, still hot to the east with highs in the Coast Range around 90 and low 100s in the valley. The upper level low continues to drift northward Tuesday and we cool down into the low 70s while the valley drops into the mid, then low 90s.

I will also mention, with all this heat, the fire danger is elevated, and we are now officially into Fire Season with some early fires off to the east already, so this is another concern. Not that you will need a fire this weekend, but we still need to be alert that something else doesn’t spark a fire. Check with the local Fire District on any restrictions for your area before you light any fires.

Vaccine and Reopening

We are inching closer to the day that Risk Levels as well as most of the other COVID related restrictions are in the rearview mirror. Yesterday the state was at 68.9% towards the 70% goal to make this happen. That is only 38,143 more people 16+, statewide, that need to get their first shot of vaccine to make this happen. Remember there is a $1,000,000 drawing from the state, and $10,000 drawing within the county that someone, who has had at least one of the vaccine shots, could win from the June 28th drawing.

You can still help the County reach their 65% goal that would keep us in the Low Risk Category until the state reaches the 70% goal that is ever so close. If you have not gotten your vaccine shot yet, you can go through your Primary Health Provider, or local Pharmacy, and there are still a couple of shot clinics available at the Community Health Center’s Annex building (next to the main building), no appointment necessary.

On Tuesday’s from 8:30am thru 11:45am they are giving Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson vaccine shots. The Pfizer is the vaccine approved for the 12-17 year olds.
On Thursday’s from 8:30am thru 11:45am they are giving Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccine shots.