PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As I’m sitting here writing the forecast for the day, I’m fighting off mosquitos and other flying insects like it’s a cool September morning… except it’s not September.
IT’S DECEMBER 1st AND THE FORECAST FOR TODAY IS 60º WHEN IT SHOULD BE 50º!
Maybe if I YELL loud enough the weather will sync up with the calendar and meteorological winter. Look, don’t get me wrong. I enjoy unseasonably warm weather just as much as the next person. Throw me a suitcase and I’ll take a tropical vacation any day. Just between you and me, and everyone else who’s reading, I actually prefer sunny & 60º over 48º and drizzly.
Here we are on the first day of December surrounded by morning temperatures in the upper 40’s and low 50’s. By late morning I’m expecting the clouds to clear just enough to declare the sun is out! By the afternoon we will experience a range of daytime highs from the upper 50’s to low 60’s in the Willamette Valley. The climatological normal high temp for Portland on December 1st is 49º, and the normal low 38º. We’re going to miss that benchmark by a long shot today. In fact, if by chance the temperature reaches 62º today at PDX, that will be a record tie (last set 1958).
While the 60’s in December may sound as wild as Woodstock in Bethel, New York, don’t get too tripped out. The warmest temperature on record for PDX in the month of December is 65º. Portland has experienced the low 60’s as late as Dec. 31. How common is a balmy winter? A maximum temperature of more than 50º degrees in December happens 32% of the time, and more than 60º degrees just 2% of the time.
During the last week of November our lowest temperatures in Portland more closely resembled late September mornings and our daytime highs felt more like the end of October.
How did November 2021 rank in warmth? Thanks to the last few days of record breakers and record ties in Portland (Sat – Mon) this November almost took the lead. Looking at records dating back to 1940, PDX is not only having its warmest November since 2016 (52.3°), but this is also the 3rd warmest Nov on record.
- 52.3° (2016)
- 51.7° (1995)
- 50.4° (2021)
- 50.1° (1999)
- 49.9° (1949)
Was November a good rain maker in Portland?
Yes, but not the most tremendous. This November was the 19th wettest on record at 6.83″ inches (above normal: +1.38″).
Be glad it’s not 2006 when Portland witnessed its highest rain totals ever for Nov: 11.92″!
Although we may only see a trickle of rain late tonight, there is more rain in the forecast. The best bet for measurable rain is Sunday night through Monday. We’ll also have a 10° cool down by the weekend. Maybe, just maybe, December will start getting its act together.
