By Phuong Le
The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Residents in the Pacific Northwest are bracing for a heat wave that could bring record-breaking high temperatures to parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
The National Weather Service on Thursday issued excessive heat watches for the North Olympic Peninsula, the greater Puget Sound region, inland areas of Southwest Washington and much of Oregon west of the Cascade Mountains.
It also issued a warning of rising fire danger.
Peninsula residents can expect temperatures in the 80s and perhaps 90s.
Saturday is expected to be the hottest day. Thunderstorms are expected in some parts of Western Washington that day.
The warning covers many urban areas along the Interstate 5 corridor, including Everett, Seattle and Vancouver in Washington, as well as Portland, Salem and Eugene in Oregon.
Forecasters say high temperatures could hit triple digits east of the Cascades and in parts of Idaho over the weekend, and daily records are sure to fall.
Hot June
Danny Mercer, a Weather Service meteorologist in Seattle, said the heat wave is coming earlier than usual in the summer and adds to an already hot June.
“This is pretty hot for this early in the season,” he said.
The same ridge of strong pressure responsible for raising the mercury in the Southwest is “now building over the rest of the Western U.S., and that’s why we’re going to see our hot pattern,” said Ron Miller, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Spokane.
That weather pattern is bringing less cloud cover and warmer temperatures to the region.
Wildfire danger
Fire officials say continued dry, hot conditions are also raising the danger for wildfires.
They’re asking the public to be careful to extinguish all campfires and cigarette butts.
So far this year, there have been more than 300 fire starts each in Washington and Oregon.
Officials also are urging people to stay hydrated, be cautious with fireworks and be aware of signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses.
“Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are real problems that can lead to death, so people need to take precautions to protect their health,” said Dr. Bruce Gutelius, a deputy state epidemiologist with the Oregon Public Health Division.
