Immediately Summer in Portland, Oregon?
Spring has had a difficult time showing its pretty face here in the Portland area through mid-April, not so much due to very cold air but of a lack of any warm air. Well, that ended abruptly this week. The Portland Airport (PDX) had not seen a maximum temperature of 70°F. or higher since October 28, 2017. With much anticipation, forecasts were finally calling for high temperatures reaching into the 70s, which did finally occur on April 23rd when it hit 74° under full sunshine, a welcome sight after 14 of the first 17 days of the month had measurable precipitation (even a Trace of Snow was reported on April 2nd!). The period in between 70-degree readings was 176 days, a bit short of half of a year. The early “Summer” weather quickly outdid itself as the following 3 days all set record maximums reaching 80° or higher, just one day after the year’s first 70-degree reading:
Date New Record Previous Record/Year
4/24 80° 79°/1999
4/25 84° 82°/2001
4/26 86° (Tie) 86°/2004
Portland Airport’s period-of-record dates back to 1940. When taking the longer-term downtown locations into account prior to 1940, the 84° and 86° readings on the 25th and 26th would also have broken the records for those days dating back to 1874.
Fortunately, the relative humidity and dew points were quite low when experiencing our first very warm weather of the year so it was certainly quite pleasant, especially in the shade during the warmest time of the day. The warmth, especially with nighttime temperatures remaining in the 50s, allowed emerging plants and flowers to rapidly grow and bloom during these days.
As of today, April 27th, we’re back to clouds and some rain moving in, bringing us back to reality for late April, when Normal maximum temperatures are in the mid-60s. Though gone for now, it’s only a matter of time before Summer marks its permanent seasonal return.
Cover photo of Portland’s newest bridge, Tilikum Crossing, is courtesy of Andrew Hall, https://www.portlandbridges.com/