The record-breaking heat follows Monday’s strong winds and low humidity, causing the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Alert due to wildfire weather.
Monday’s weather had people in Jackson County on edge as they recalled the morning three weeks ago on Sept. 8, when similar winds drove the Almeda Fire that destroyed more than 2,400 homes between Ashland and Medford.
While winds should slow down Tuesday morning, therefore lowering the region’s risk for wildfire, they’ll be followed by skyrocketing temperatures.
“Specifically Tuesday and Wednesday, we come very close to 100 degrees,” says National Weather Service meteorologist Charles Smith. “The average high temperature for this time of year is around 80 degrees. Whenever you get that much warmer than normal, it’s significant and notable.”
Smith says data also suggests wildfire smoke will likely creep in from Northern California, making the skies hazier than they have been over the weekend.
