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100s won’t be here long By Buffy Pollock Updated: Jul 11, 2022 07:15 PM A A Forecasters say Tuesday will be a burner, but the opening of the county fair Wednesday should see more reasonable temps Searing temperatures descended on Medford Monday, creeping into the low 80s by mid-morning and hitting triple digits shortly after 3 p.m. A shock to the system for locals after an exceptionally cool, wet spring, the arrival of triple-digit heat was not abnormal for the month of July, local weather experts say, but it was surprising after weeks of temperatures in the 70s and 80s. On top of a region-wide heat advisory, about 5,000 Medford residents grappled with an hours-long power outage Monday afternoon. The good news, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Sandler, is that said the spike in temperatures should be short-lived. “It’s more of a shock to the system because it’s been a cool spring. ... We liked that, but it definitely hasn’t been our usual for July. It is still summer, even if it’s not felt that way so far,” Sandler said. “We do typically see the hottest temperatures in late July, early August. What we’re having right now is a brief pattern where high pressure has settled over us and things are really warming up.” Sandler said he expected temperatures to ease up after Tuesday, in exchange for “regular summer temperatures” in the low 90s — just in time for the kickoff Wednesday of the Jackson County Fair. Monday’s high temperature hit 104 degrees at the Medford airport at 6:15 p.m. “It’s a good thing we’ll get through the hottest temperatures ... right before the Jackson County Fair starts,” Sandler said. “It’s going to still be warm, but in the generally lower-to-middle 90s, which you expect this time of year. We’d be really lucky if we had stayed in the 80s, but it’s also lucky that we won’t still be in triple digits. That’s when we worry about people having heat exhaustion and other issues.” Sandler sympathized with locals who may have become acclimated to the recent cooler temperatures. “When we’ve been in the 80s, it seems really warm to be in the 90s, even if it’s our usual for this time of year,” he said. “It does seem abrupt, but it’s weather and it changes from day to day.” Sandler said forecasters were watching closely Monday to see whether the mercury would challenge the all-time mark for the date of 108 degrees set in 1960. “At least we don’t get like the heat waves back in Chicago or the D.C. area. High humidity is no fun,” he said. “It got pretty hot ... but no records.” Sandler warned of a slight — 20% — chance of thunderstorms in the Siskiyous, but he was hopeful recent precipitation would keep fire risk low. Hazy skies could be expected in coming days due to fires burning in Yosemite. “Those are some really big fires, so our skies here could be hazier tomorrow and maybe even Wednesday according to our smoke model,” Sandler added. “Air quality near the ground won’t be bad, but people might notice a little more haze in the sunset. … I’m just happy right now that we don’t have any large fires in Oregon.” Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.