Late-Summer Heat and Smoke Return to the Metro Suburbs This Week

After a short break from the worst of it, wildfire smoke is drifting back over the region this week, with temperatures warming back up toward the upper 80s and possibly touching 90 degrees in spots — not quite as intense as early August's heat, but enough to bring back the haze that's become a familiar late-summer visitor across Beaverton, Gresham, Lake Oswego, West Linn, and the Clackamas area.

The smoke is expected to limit how hot it actually gets by a few degrees, but forecasters note that doesn't make it safer — heat-related illness risk climbs even when smoke keeps the thermometer a little lower than it would be under clear skies. Anyone with respiratory issues, young kids, or older family members should keep an eye on air quality readings before spending extended time outside.

The good news: this pattern isn't expected to last. Longer-range outlooks point to a cooler, wetter September and October than usual, which should mean this round of heat and smoke is closer to the tail end of the season than the middle of it.

In the meantime, the usual precautions apply — stay hydrated, limit strenuous outdoor activity during peak afternoon hours, and keep windows closed if the haze rolls back in thick enough to smell.