Western Heat Wave Breaks Record Highs in Oregon and Washington

A blistering heat wave will sear the Northwest into next week, setting daily record highs and even threatening a few all-time record highs.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued excessive heat warnings and heat advisories from parts of Washington and Oregon to portions of central California and western Nevada.

Dozens of daily record highs were set Wednesday, including: Portland, Oregon (103 degrees), Medford, Oregon (112 degrees), Salem, Oregon (107 degrees), Eugene, Oregon (102 degrees), Seattle (91 degrees), Quillayute, Washington (98 degrees) and Reno, Nevada (104 degrees).

The 107-degree high in Salem, Oregon, Wednesday was only 1 degree shy of the all-time record high of 108 degrees, set most recently on Aug. 9, 1981. In addition, Quillayute, Washington, reached its second-hottest temperature on recordWednesday with a high of 98 degrees.

The peak of the heat wave will persist into Friday, with highs in the 100s commonplace from California's Central Valley and western Nevada into Oregon and much of Washington's lower elevations away from the immediate Pacific coast. Some of the hottest interior locations may even flirt with 110-degree highs.