Heat — Central Willamette Valley, Oregon
2018-07-18 · Central Willamette Valley, Oregon
1
Direct deaths
Event narrative
A man swimming across the Willamette River from Yamhill County to Marion County near the Wheatland Ferry drowned. It had been hot the previous several days, and though temperatures were a bit cooler on the 18th with highs only in the upper 80s, it's believed that the heat over the previous several days led him to swim in the river that day.
Wider weather episode
High pressure over the region led to a stretch of hot day July 12 through July 17th. Hot temperatures led people to cool off in local rivers. There were two drownings recorded on July 16 and July 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 775400. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.