By Gordon McCraw, Tillamook County Emergency Manager
Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 10:15am
Weather
No, there is not, or was not, an issue with your computer or with the server in getting this Update out recently, I took the last 5 days off as I had a wedding Anniversary, Father’s Day and my birthday.
Next, nature is planning in the near future, in case you were in doubt, to prove that summer is here! Today and tomorrow will be about the same as we have seen the last couple days, cloudy mornings that slowly burns back in the afternoon. This is a result of a stronger onshore flow that pushes in and thickens the marine layer overnight into the morning hours. This continues to moderate the coastal temperatures, keeping afternoon highs in the mid to upper 60s, nighttime lows near 50.
By Friday, a strong high pressure ridge has built in that will further dry things out quicker, which also allows us to warm up more. Friday likely starts out mostly sunny with the afternoon high climbing to around 75, the nighttime low only falls down to just under 60. There is an Excessive Heat Watch that starts Friday afternoon thru Monday evening because of the dangerously high temperatures expected in the Coast Range eastward, highs in the Coast Range are expected to be in the upper 80s to near 90 while temperatures over in the valley will likely see the mid 90s.
Saturday and Sunday will fall into the “Very Hot” category. Highs along the coast in the low 80 to mid 80s, in the Coast Range it looks to be in the upper 90s to near 100 while the valley eastward is looking at breaking some records with highs in the low to mid 100s. Nighttime lows here in the upper 50, the lows in the valley only drop to the upper 60s to low 70s.
What all this means is there is a high heat risk from the Coast thru the Cascades over the weekend. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids, if able, stay in an air-conditioned room, check on your relatives and neighbors, wear sunscreen outside and limit the amount of time in these harsh conditions, and DO NOT leave children or pets in unattended vehicles as they heat up and reach very dangerous levels in just a matter of minutes.
Monday things start to cool down as the high shifts east some, so maybe 75 on Monday and 71 on Tuesday, still with mostly sunny skies, the lows in the upper 50s.
ODF – Fire Season has Started June 22
Prohibited during fire season.
- Sky lanterns are prohibited year round throughout Oregon
- Use of exploding targets and tracer ammunition is prohibited
- Backyard debris burning is prohibited
Additional restrictions mentioned by the Tillamook District:
- No wood burning devices in temporary dwellings (i.e. tents, travel trailers, etc.)
- No fireworks
- Equip each power saw with a shovel and fire extinguisher or a gallon of water
- Provide a 1-hour fire watch after the use of each power saw
- Cutting, welding or grinding must be done in a clear area with the water supply.
For local rules, consult with your local Fire District for restrictions.
COVID Vaccine Update
First, with ZERO cases reported in the last 2 weeks, Tillamook County will remain in the Lower Risk Category.
A look at the State vaccine tracking numbers shows the State is at 68.8% today, the goal remains at 70% which is when most of the restrictions will be lifted, and the Risk Levels will go away. Oregon says there are 41,094 more people needing their first shot to reach this level. Unfortunately, the daily number of shots administered continues to go down. From this it looks like we could possibly reach the 70% goal by the end of next week, provided the number of daily shot does not drop off significantly. A reminder, the shot lottery pull date is June 27th!