Excessive Heat — Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon

2021-08-11 to 2021-08-12 · Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon

Event narrative

A 22-year-old woman drowned Wednesday August 11th after being swept away while wading in the the Willamette River near the pedestrian bridge between the University of Oregon campus and Autzen Stadium. The high temperature at Eugene (KEUG) was 102 degrees on the 11th and 104 degrees on the 12th.

Wider weather episode

Hot weather began to develop August 9, peaking August 11-12, but temperatures continued above normal into the weekend. Peak afternoon temperatures of 100 to 105 degrees drove people to seek relief in or near bodies of water. Heat caused slowdowns on the MAX light rail (Portland metro area) systems, and some businesses did close due to the heat. Cooling shelters were opened in several counties.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 981001. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.