“Excessive heat warning continues for Northwest”

Excessive heat warning continues for Northwest

Posted: 16 Aug 2010 06:55 AM PDT

SEATTLE -- After a third straight day of 90-degree temperatures in the Puget Sound area, the excessive heat warning continues for Western Washington through Monday.

The excessive heat warning remains in effect until 10 p.m. Monday for the area that includes Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Bremerton. A heat advisory is in effect to 10 p.m. for the southwest interior.

Temperatures on Sunday reached record breaking highs. SeaTac set a new record of 96 degrees, breaking the old record of 92 set in 1967. And Olympia hit a new record high of 97 and Bellingham with a high of 90s.

"We're going to cool of about 2-4 degrees today, so it's still another hot one headed our way," said KING 5 Meteorologist Rich Marriott.

For Monday, high temperatures in the North Puget Sound will reach the low to mid 80s, in the high 70s near the water, said Marriott. For the South Puget Sound, high temperatures will hit the high 80s and mid 90s.

The heat will start easing a bit on Tuesday. Forecasters say highs Tuesday will be in the 80s in Western Washington with clouds spreading inland from the coast.

"As we head into Wednesday and beyond, we'll drop back with temperatures in the 60s and 70s and stay there for a while," said Marriott.

The National Weather Service recommends drinking plenty of fluids, staying out of the sun and checking on relatives and neighbors, especially the elderly.

Cooling centers open

Pierce County has released a list of cooling center locations in Pierce County. People are invited to stop by these locations to cool off from the extreme heat.

Auburn City Hall located at 25 West Main St. and the Auburn Senior Activity Center, located at 808 Ninth St. SE, will be available as cooling centers through Monday evening.

In Arlington, Cascade Valley Hospital Café will be open from 12pm - 6pm throughout the weekend and on Monday. The Café is located on the 2nd floor of the hospital and will have free ice water available. Cascade Valley Hospital is located at 330 S. Stillaguamish. Olympic Place Retirement & Senior Living Community will also be open throughout the weekend and on Monday as a cooling station. Olympic Place is located at 20909 Olympic Place.

Other public places such as libraries, movie theaters and stores are also good places to beat the heat.

We'll see a coo down beginning on Tuesday as a push of cooler marine air comes in. A milder air mass will start to erode the ridge of high pressure and replace the hot with a much more comfortable situation by mid-week.

Sizzling in SW, Eastern Washington

In Eastern Washington, forecasters say highs will remain in the 90s through Thursday. A fire weather watch is in effect until Tuesday evening for the east slopes of the Cascades.

Sunday was also a scorcher for much of Oregon and southwest Washington. In addition, a red flag warning for lightning and high fire danger is in effect for southwest Oregon.

Thunderstorms and lightning strikes can be expected in that area, which has a lot of dry fuel in its forests.

A heat advisory is in effect through Monday night for temperatures in the upper 90s for Portland and Vancouver, Wash., and nearby areas.