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Good morning, Northwest.

Autumn is just around the corner. A new climate analysis shows, in Portland, the season oft characterized by changing leaves and cozy sweaters is also seeing much hotter temperatures.

OPB climate reporter Monica Samayoa starts today’s newsletter with a closer look at the fall warming trend in the Rose City.

In other news, new research shows continued decline of northern spotted owls.

Here’s your First Look at Thursday’s news.

— Bradley W. Parks

Top story

Portland is experiencing hotter fall days than it did 50 years ago, according to climate analysis

The Portland metro area has been experiencing more than two dozen hotter fall days a year over the past 50 years.

That’s according to a recent analysis from nonprofit Climate Central that found the region has already increased by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970. That’s causing the Portland metro area to experience at least 18 more fall days with temperatures above the norm.

“People always say, ‘Well, that doesn’t sound like too much warming,’” Climate Central’s scientist Kaitlyn Trudeau said, “but I just encourage people to think about when you get a fever and how just a small amount of increased temperature can actually like wreak havoc on your body, and it’s a very similar thing with the Earth.” (Monica Samayoa)

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3 things to know

• Portland City Council passed a resolution yesterday to research both replacing and renovating the Keller Auditorium. Councilors said they’re not pledging money to renovate the venue or build a new one at Portland State University. (Kyra Buckley)
• The campaign of Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., offered a punny piece of merch — a metal tin for nicotine pouches called Zyn, emblazoned with “Marie Glue-ZYN-Kamp Perez” across the front — for sale for only a day after the Swedish company that owns the brand asked the campaign to stop. (Elena Neale-Sacks)
• Portland leaders voted yesterday unanimously to remove César Chávez’s name from a major city street, months after reporting revealed that Chávez had allegedly sexually abused women and girls. (Alex Zielinski)

Why data centers are suddenly in the middle of Oregon governor’s race

Gov. Tina Kotek and state Sen. Christine Drazan both announced they support a data center moratorium, tapping into a debate playing out across Oregon and the nation. (Lauren Dake and Dirk VanderHart)

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Northwest headlines

• Student involved in chemical spill at Benson High School expected to survive, police say (OPB Staff)
• Northwest researchers develop vaccines to prevent opioid overdose and support addiction recovery (Jes Burns)
• Federal rangelands rules overhaul could cut out Oregonians from public input (Alejandro Figueroa)
• Healthcare nonprofit breaks ground on addiction recovery campus in Roseburg (Jane Vaughan, JPR)
• Bandon zoo owner sentenced for animal abuse, drugs, machine gun charges (Justin Higginbottom, JPR)
• Velde scores late birthday goal to help Portland Timbers draw 2-2 with St. Louis (AP)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• Children in rural counties more likely to enter foster care, reporting shows
• New report says Oregon Coast lacks tsunami evacuation structures

One more look

New study finds northern spotted owls are ‘functionally extinct’ in some areas of the Pacific Northwest

Northern spotted owls have been on the endangered list since the 1990s. Researchers say that’s due to habitat loss from logging and invasive barred owls outcompeting them for prey and space.

But a new study from Oregon State University and the U.S. Forest Service has found that, in many areas, the owls have crossed the line into functional extinction.

That is, there are so few left that reproducing or recovering with the help of conservationists isn’t possible.

The study showed northern spotted owls approaching functional extinction in Washington and the Oregon Coast. They were not seen or heard at all in the Washington Cascades north of Seattle. (Julia Boboc, KLCC)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/09/10/opbs-first-look-hot-in-portland/