Breakdown of records set during Washington’s heat wave

Locations around Washington state broke multiple records during the 3-day heat wave that is now part of very recent memory.

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Most notable is the number 118. The National Weather Service in Seattle reported two stations — one at Sol Duc River near Forks and another at Mayfield Power Plant in Lewis County — reached 118 degrees on Monday. If true, those two locations “potentially tied or exceeded the all-time record high for the state,” the NWS tweeted.

It was originally reported that Renton reached 120 degrees on Monday, but the NWS said in a later update that the reading was an error in data display. The actual temperature at the Renton location was 108 degrees.

Now the local National Weather Service will participate in the State Climate Extremes Committee to investigate the sites and equipment to make sure those locations and the 118 degrees are accurate.

“Representatives from Portland, Pendleton, and Spokane will be doing similar investigations in their areas,” the NWS tweeted.

STATE RECORD?! (1 of 3)
Multiple stations in Washington state yesterday recorded high temperatures that potentially tied or exceeded the all-time record high for the state of 118°F. #wawx

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) June 29, 2021

Other areas in Washington that broke all-time records on Monday (according to the National Weather Service):

• Seattle (Sea-Tac) 108 degrees, previously 104 on June 27, 2021
• Bellingham 99 degrees, previously 96 on July 29, 2009
• NWS Seattle 107 degrees, previously 105 on July 29, 2009
• Olympia 110 degrees, previously 105 on June 27, 2021
• Quillayute 110, previously 99 on Aug. 9, 1981

Daily records set on Monday (according to the National Weather Service):

• Pasco,/Tri-Cities 114 degrees, previously 111 in 2015
• Omak Airport 112 degrees, previously 110 in 2015
• Yakima 109 degrees, previously 108 in 2015
• Spokane 105 degrees, ties record set in 2015

On Tuesday morning, the NWS said that Stampede Pass, located just east of Snoqualmie Pass, had already reached 99 degrees. That’s an all-time high for the location.

Late Tuesday, the NWS in Spokane said that Spokane experienced its hottest day on record (since 1881) at 109 degrees. The previous record of 108 degrees was set on Aug. 4, 1964.

While some locations around the state remain fairly warm, a cooldown is in effect for the better part of the state. However, Western Washington remains under an Excessive Heat Warning until late Tuesday evening.

“It is imperative that heat-related precautions are not just automatically neglected,” the NWS wrote in its Forecast Discussion. “Heat-related impacts are likely to carry over given that there won’t be an extended period of cooler temperatures to fully recover from the extreme heat of the past few days.”

Wednesday will present more cooling, according to the NWS. Interior locations will see highs in the mid 80s. Areas near the water and high elevations should remain in the upper 60s and low 70s. Thursday will see similar patterns.

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