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Today's heat may set 3rd straight record Water use hits levels normal for midsummer By BILL KETTLER Another hot day, another record? Today's temperatures probably won't reach triple digits, but Southern Oregon could see its third straight day of record-making heat. Monday's 96-degree high set the record for Medford's hottest-ever May 21, and Tuesday's 100 degrees tied the 60-year-old mark for the warmest May 22. If the temperature climbs above 94 degrees today (and forecasters think there's a good chance it will) the record will fall for May 23, too. It's not exactly typical spring weather (late May's average high temperature is 74 degrees in Medford) but weather forecasters have seen plenty of May hot spells in the Rogue Valley over the years. "It's hard to break records for heat in Medford," said Mike Stavish, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Medford. Stavish said the hot spell settled in Sunday when a large mass of warm, dry, high-pressure air settled over the West. Dry east winds blowing in over the Cascades and a northerly air flow along the coast blocked the cool marine air that keeps the Rogue Valley cool during summer. The heat wave spawned a predictable flood of calls at businesses that sell relief. "We've been swamped," said Tricia Gray at Kennedy Fuel, a White City company that services air conditioners. "We are booked up through Friday." Stan Moore, of Moore's Bikes and Pools in Medford, fielded half a dozen calls from people shopping for a refreshing dunk. "When it's hot everybody wants a pool," Moore said. Water use soared to midsummer levels, as gardeners tried to keep plants happy in the heat. The Medford Water Commission pumped nearly 40 million gallons of water on both Monday and Tuesday, a 60 percent increase over the 25 million gallons it produced just a week ago, when temperatures hovered in the mid-60s and rain showers pelted Jackson County. "That's how fast it can change," said the Water Commission's Laura Hodnett. She said the first hot spell typically produces a dramatic increase in water use, but consumption levels off during the summer as consumers develop their summer watering routines. "Irrigating is what drives summer use," she said. There was plenty of electricity to drive air conditioners, fans and pumps, and power planners believe they can avoid shortages in Oregon during the summer, said John Harrison, a spokesman for the Northwest Power Planning Council in Portland. Harrison said Oregon uses less electricity for summer cooling than it does for winter heating. Power could be in short supply in the fall and winter if rain and snow fail to replenish the reservoirs that feed generators in the dams on the Columbia River. "Summer looks OK," he said. "It's next fall and winter we're worried about." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.