Much of Oregon is facing abnormally high temperatures this week, raising concerns about the health and safety of people who don’t have access to air conditioning, especially in areas of the state beset by wildfire.

Temperatures topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Ontario on Monday and could soar that high in the Willamette Valley by Wednesday night. In Douglas County, the forecast calls for heat in the 90s combined with smoke that could prompt people without air conditioning to keep their windows closed.

And overnight lows above 60 degrees are expected across much of inland Oregon, meaning people facing high temperatures will have fewer opportunities to cool off.

“The real danger comes from the ongoing impact of several days of high temperatures without a break, which can have deadly consequences,” Erin McMahon, director of the Oregon Department of Emergency Management, said in an email on Monday.

Eleven people died during a five-day heat wave last summer, McMahon said. And close to a hundred Oregonians died during an extreme heat wave in 2021.

“Heat is deadly,” McMahon said, “and we must respond to it with the seriousness it demands.”

Despite that warning, few Oregon communities had announced plans to open cooling centers as of Monday afternoon. Clackamas County encouraged people needing relief to head to libraries, local restaurants or a ministry. Maulheur County directed people to a church or a senior center in Ontario. Douglas and Multnomah counties both said online that they did not have any open cooling centers – but that could change as temperatures climb.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory starting at noon Tuesday and continuing to Wednesday night for the Portland-Vancouver metro area down to the southern Willamette Valley, where temperatures are just beginning to climb. Daytime highs are likely to be between 90 and 100 degrees, with overnight lows between 65 and 70 inland. With clear skies forecasted, people who don’t have indoor AC should be able to open windows to cool off overnight.

Residents of central and eastern Douglas County won’t have access to the same overnight relief. That area of the state is under a heat advisory through 8 p.m. Wednesday, with highs from the mid-90s to around 100 degrees forecasted. With patchy wildfire smoke in the forecast into Tuesday evening, people may find themselves choosing between a smoky breeze or stifling indoor heat. Weather service officials warn there’s an increased chance of heat-related illness for people who don’t have air conditioning.

In Eastern Oregon, the worst of a recent heat wave is beginning to recede. The Ontario airport recorded a 102-degree temperature Monday afternoon, but a heat advisory expires at 9 p.m. Overnight lows are expected to be above 60 degrees through Thursday night, with daily highs in the 90s.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/14/temperatures-soar-heat-wave-oregon-health-safety/