PORTLAND, Ore. - By now, most people have gotten the message: it's going to be hot today, as in the record-breaking kind of heat.

Just a few weeks ago, many people in the northwest were bundled up against unusually cold temperatures during March and April. Snowfall coated upper elevation cities and foothills. The sun was nowhere to be seen.

It will seem like just a cool, distant memory today. The record high temperature for Portland is 89, a record not expected to last the day. It was 81 in the city at noon. 

According to KATU's Storm Alert weather team, the high in Portland today will be in the mid-90s, with most areas in the region seeing similar temperatures, including the coast, which usually offers some measure of relief from high heat.

It was 101 in Brookings on Thursday and 93 at Newport on Friday at noon due to a hot, off-shore air flow.

Saturday is expected to see a high near 90 as well. Cooler temperatures in the 80s should settle in Sunday, with a chance of showers arriving on Tuesday. Cooler weather is expected next week.

With the sudden onset of record heat, officials are warning people to make smart choices when they try to keep cool.

Rescuers were looking for a man who jumped into the Little North Fork River near Detroit Lake on Thursday to help a woman who was struggling in the water. She was able to get out of the river, but the man, in his 20's, was not found.

A report of a body in the river downstream from the incident location was later reported, but the body was not found. The search is continuing.

One person drowned Thursday while kayaking on the Santiam River and four others narrowly escaped injury while rafting on the fast-flowing Sandy River.

The rafters had life jackets with them but were not wearing them when they went into the water while traversing some rapids. One rafter said he would not make the same mistake again. By law, rafters must wear the life vests. The men were all cited.

Rescuers are warning people that the huge snowpack the area received this year will make for very fast-flowing rivers that are filled with freezing-cold water.

Jamie Kern with the Clackamas County Fire Department said that when people get in the snow-fed water, it's a huge shock to the system, making swimmers gasp at the extreme cold. That could lead to a lung-full of water and drowning.

Combining alcohol consumption with the cold water is a recipe for making poor choices, officials say. Many parks in the area will require permits for alcohol this year. Law enforcement officials say they will be patrolling parks and camping areas looking for alcohol violations.

The onset of warm weather brings other dangers as well.

On Thursday, one woman was cited when she left her small child in an SUV while she got her nails done. A passerby heard the child crying in the hot car and alerted authorities.

The high temperature on Thursday was 86 degrees, and police and child welfare officials are reminding people that car interiors heat up to lethal levels very quickly on hot days, even with windows rolled down.

They advise people never to leave children or pets in cars that are sitting in the sun.

Lastly, health officials want to remind people to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water on hot days. They said soda pop and alcoholic beverages actually work against you, pulling water out of your system rather then quenching your thirst, possibly leading to heat stroke.

They advise people take time to prepare for hot weather by making smart choices and avoiding unnecessary risks.