Still warm Monday with an afternoon thunderstorm chance

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - High temperatures in the Portland area were around 90 degrees Sunday, so models did a good job of indicating a very slight cooldown compared to yesterday. It felt like an oven out there with a hot fan blasting on high. Sustained wind speeds were in the 10 to 20 MPH range. That breezy east wind helped to drive the warm air all the way out to the beaches, where it was just as hot as it was in the valleys-- Hoquiam, Astoria, Tillamook, Newport and Florence were all in the 90s today. Astoria hit 93 degrees, setting a new daily temperature record for May 14.

Our overnight low temperature in Portland was 62 degrees, which ties the record-warmest low temperature for the entire month of May. We have a shot at actually breaking that record tonight, with slightly warmer overnight temperatures expected.

Although most of us should stay dry west of the Cascades tomorrow, a slow-moving isolated thunderstorm could dump quite a bit of rain in a short period of time. The mountains have the best shot at seeing some lightning tomorrow afternoon and evening. Due to some additional cloud cover and that chance of a shower or thunderstorm, temperatures may remain in the upper 80s.

We might be out of the “scorching hot” category the rest of the work week, but it’s still going to be significantly warmer than average both during the day and at night. High temperatures will stay in the mid to upper 80s through at least Thursday before we start to cool down. We’ll see cloudier mornings with afternoon clearing Friday through the weekend. Saturday and Sunday should be comfortably warm with highs around 80 degrees.

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