Cooler weekend ahead

SEATTLE - The heat continues in the NW with one more day of temps more than ten degrees above normal around Puget Sound before some weekend relief.

Nice and mild along the coast as temps climb into the comfortable mid 70s. We'll have lots more of that summer sun too, so don't forget to slather on the sunscreen and grab those sunnies before you head out. 

The heat is much more extreme on the other side of the Cascades. The much of the middle part of the state is under and Excessive Heat Warning that will last until Friday evening. Temperatures again near 100 degrees for many cities and towns. The Excessive Heat Warning is flanked on both sides with a Heat Advisory that includes both sides of the Cascades now, including many foothills communities in Western WA too. 

You might notice a few more clouds than our perfectly blue skies yesterday. That's courtesy of the low that's off the Oregon coast will spin in just enough of a southerly flow could spark some thunderstorms late in the day. It's only a slight chance but pay attention to the forecast if you'll be on a hike in those areas. The safest place to be in a t-storm in the outdoors is in your car, if possible. The big concern this time of year with thunderstorms is that they don't have much of the beneficial rain, but they've got plenty of lightning which can spark dozens of wildfires. Sometimes those can smolder for days before sparking to life. 

The low off shore looks to push through late Sunday/Monday. So, while there's a slight chance of some drizzle or showers-- what you'll really notice is the afternoon temps back down towards the comfortable mid 70s. Normal high temp is 77 for this time of year. 77 is the warmest high temperature we see all year long here around Seattle.