ONTARIO – Malheur County is in for possibly record-setting temperatures as a late-season heat wave takes hold in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s not often that we get this hot this late,” said lead forecaster Dave Groenert of the weather service in Boise.
As a result, the service has issued a heat advisory for the Ontario area through Friday.
“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances,” the weather service advises.
The high temperatures by day and existing records by the weather service for Ontario show:
Tuesday – 101 (103 in 1967)
Wednesday – 105 (102 in 1967)
Thursday – 100 (104 in 1967)
Friday – 102 (100 in 1967)
Saturday – 101 (99 in 2017)
Sunday – 102 (99 in 2020)
Groenert said the heat advisory was issued because of the unusually late heat spell and overnight temperatures have not been cooling as much as usual. He said a ridge of high pressure sitting over the Northwest is to blame, and long-range forecasts show such conditions persisting into the second week of September.
The year has been especially dry as well. Ontario has recorded four inches of rain since the start of the year – about two inches below normal.