Puget Sound approaches 90 degrees in final heat wave before fall weather
Aug 26, 2019, 8:53 AM | Updated: Aug 28, 2019, 2:46 pm
Many states may still be on lockdown come summer. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The National Weather Service in Seattle predicted “gradual warming” throughout Western Washington this week, with Wednesday marking the warmest day.
We likely won’t approach record highs, according to KIRO 7 TV meteorologist Nick Allard, but temperatures have already reached the mid-80s in some areas of the Puget Sound region.
Lots of sun and warm temperatures currently at 2pm this afternoon. Continued mostly sunny with temperatures (away from the water) topping off in the upper 80s to lower 90s. #wawx pic.twitter.com/paF9NRxesM
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) August 28, 2019
The NWS has a heat advisory in effect for the lower Columbia, greater Portland area, advising people more vulnerable to warmer temperatures to stay hydrated, and to pay special attention to pets. A red flag warning is in effect for the central Cascades for most of the day, with hot, dry and unstable conditions — which can “contribute to active fire behavior.”
Puget Sound region’s summer weather already on its way out
This brief heat wave puts an exclamation point on a summer that’s been unseasonably cool across the Puget Sound region. During the warmer weather the Seattle area has had this summer, the NWS says we’ve had just nine days at or above 85 degrees, fewer than any of the last six summers. The record for a single summer is 29 days, set in 2018.
Expert: Puget Sound summer weather ‘best in several years’
Don’t get too excited about the warmer weather, though. University of Washington climate scientist Cliff Mass notes that it will be short-lived, before our descent into fall picks back up again.
“This heat wave won’t last,” he described in a recent blog post. “Wednesday will remain warm, but then marine air will push in on Thursday and seasonal temperatures will return.”
This comes on the heels of an August that’s already exceeded its average rainfall in Seattle. Paired with July also beating its average rainfall for the month, 2019 is the first time that the two months have both done that since 2014.
