Hitting 95 degrees, Seattle breaks previous daily-high temperature record for July 26
Seattle weather: Big heat wave starts Tuesday
Now is the time to prepare; scorching temperatures return to Seattle on Tuesday. The 90s stick around through Friday.
SEATTLE - The heat is on: we're tracking four consecutive days in the 90s across much of Western Washington. These skyrocketing temps will be oppressive and dangerous for people without air-conditioning and for those who live and work outside.
Sea-Tac hit a record high for today as temps skyrocketed to 95 degrees. The previous heat record for July 26 was in 2018, when Seattle hit 92 degrees.
Olympia will likely tie or exceed a record for today. Bellingham should blow past its record of 86. Hoquiam will fall short of its record.
An Excessive Heat Warning is not just in effect for Eastern Washington but Central Puget Sound as well: this involves much of Snohomish, King and Pierce Counties. This warning lasts until Friday. The metro/downtown areas get quite toasty because the buildings and pavement absorb more solar radiation compared to more vegetation. Still, some of the Cascade valleys could be even hotter – nearing the triple digits for communities like North Bend.
A Heat Advisory is posted through Friday for the North and South sounds.
There's a medium to high risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke – especially for our beloved senior citizens of Western Washington. Make sure to take extra care of the kiddos, seniors and pets in your life. Never leave people or pets in a hot car!
Try to limit your time outdoors if possible. I'd recommend avoiding strenuous activities outside – take it easy. If you don't have A/C at home, head into a building with A/C this week to give your system a break. Remember to drink plenty of water.
If you're cooling off along a river, creek or stream, practice good water safety by wearing a life jacket (even if you're an experienced swimmer!).
Fire danger is elevated as grasses and shrubs dry out this week. Heed any burn bans in your area!
Let's talk about air quality this week. According to Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, good to moderate air quality is in the forecast this week. However, ozone could build up over the Cascade foothills. This could drop air quality to an "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category. For those with asthma or other respiratory problems, the ozone may be a problem.
A little wildfire haze could push into Western Washington at times today and tomorrow (mainly in the South and North Sounds), but for the most part – this smoke should stay in the higher levels of the atmosphere; this means we're not expecting much of an impact to air quality if anything at all.
Temps will finally drop to the upper 80s on Saturday. By Sunday, more dramatic relief is on the way with highs in the low 80s. Monday's forecast looks like a dream after this week: highs will soar comfortably to the mid to upper 70s after a cloudy start to the day.
Take good care!
Warmly,
Meteorologist Abby Acone
Follow me on Twitter @abbyacone, Instagram @abbyaconewx, TikTok @abbyaconetv and Facebook (Meteorologist Abby Acone)