Washington and Oregon Coast: Warm Temps, Possible Aurora Borealis

Published 10/23/2019 at 7:23 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Portland, Oregon) – It’s going to get interesting in the Pacific Northwest both night and day. Lots of sun and warm temps are in store for the Oregon coast and the Washington coast in the next week, with the possibility of an Aurora Borealis this far south on Thursday (although northern Washington has a greater chance of seeing the northern lights). [Above: northern lights in the Oregon coast range: this type is not visible to the human but only by camera]

Thursday will see up to the 70s in some places in Oregon and Washington, and other places farther south will stick around the 60s or 70s for about a week.

Jim Todd, astronomy expert with Portland’s OMSI, said a massive solar flare that erupted today (Wednesday) on the sun should set off a big show much farther north on Thursday night. Here, in Oregon and southern Washington, it’s only a chance, however.

“All the models I’m seeing don’t suggest more than a possibility at this latitude,” Todd said. “The solar flare is at about 5 kp and you need at least a 7 kp to see it here. But it is a possibility.”

The main caveat, however, is that humans will likely not see it with the naked eye. Todd said an SLR camera has a better chance of catching it.

“You have to know what you’re looking for,” he said. “You may be looking at some fog or think it’s some clouds.”

The National Weather Service (NWS) said skies will remain clear for the week throughout the northwest, and some days will really feel summer-like again.

“An upper level ridge of high pressure will move over the Pacific Northwest on Thursday, bringing warm and pleasant autumn weather,” the NWS said. “Surface winds will also become offshore on Thursday as thermal low pressure builds northward along the southwest Oregon Coast. This pattern will bring warm temperatures to the region with with daytime high temperatures in the lower to mid 60s along the coast and upper 60s inland.”

On the northern half of the Oregon coast, it will reach up to 62 on Thursday, then lowering into the mid 50s for the majority of the weekend. Still, it will be sunny to mostly sunny, with some chances of rain only on Friday. From the weekend through to Wednesday, it’s sunny and in the 50s in places like Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Yachats, Newport and Pacific City.

On the southern half of the Oregon coast it gets even warmer and stays that way longer. It’s a burst of summer there. Look for highs in the 70s and 80s on Thursday, lowering to the 60s and 70s through at least Monday in areas like Gold Beach, Brookings and Bandon.

On the southern Washington coast, clear skies at night bring good chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis there, but this is more likely farther north near the top of Washington State. This region too – including Ocean Park and Grays Harbor - will see mostly clear skies during the day, including temps in the mid 60s on Thursday, then in the 50s and quite sunny through the rest of the week. See Oregon Coast Weather -- Washington Coast Weather -- Oregon Coast Hotels for this event - Where to eat - Map - Virtual Tour

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