Significant heat relief to arrive in Pacific Northwest at midweek

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

July 30, 2018, 10:56:52 PM EDT

The arrival of cooler air will knock down temperatures in the Pacific Northwest at midweek, but the latest heat wave has already left its mark in the record books.

On Monday, Portland, Oregon, recorded its 15th 90-degree Fahrenheit day this July, which broke the record of 14 such days set in July 2009. The city may tack on another day to this new record on Tuesday.

Seattle also tied its record of nine consecutive days with daytime temperatures of 85 or above on Monday, which was originally set in 1967 and 1977. The city may fall just shy of breaking this record on Tuesday.

People will need to continue to take precautions in the continued heat early this week by avoiding strenuous outdoor activities during the heat of the day, taking frequent breaks in the shade and drinking plenty of water.

Children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems should limit time outdoors altogether as smoke from nearby wildfires will keep air quality levels poor through Tuesday.

However, significant heat relief is in store for the second half of the week as cooler air rolls in from the Pacific Ocean.

“Portland will drop back into the middle 80s on Wednesday and upper 70s to close out the last two days of the week,” AccuWeather Meteorologist and western U.S. blogger Jordan Root said.

Seattle’s highs are poised to drop into the lower to middle 70s F on Thursday and Friday, after over a week-long stretch with highs 5 to 15 degrees above normal.

During the first days of August, average highs range from 84 in Eugene, Oregon, to 82 in Portland and 77 in Seattle.

The cooldown will come at the relief of the many Pacific Northwest residents who do not have air conditioning.

People who like to hike, fish, golf or partake in the many other outdoor activities the region has to offer will be able to do so with much more ease.

Welcome heat relief will arrive late in the week over the interior Northwest, but it will not be as drastic, according to Root.

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Highs will be slashed by around 10 degrees from their early week peaks across eastern Washington, Idaho and western Montana.

Boise, Idaho, will fall back into the lower 90s by Friday after several days in the triple digits.

The cooler conditions will not be accompanied by widespread wet weather, which is not good news for the drought that continues to spread and worsen in Washington and Oregon.

Nearly 56 percent of Oregon is in severe drought, while nearly 30 percent of Washington is in moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

At most, hikers and campers will have to dodge a few afternoon showers and thunderstorms across the Blue Mountains and northern Rockies at midweek.

Even with the cooldown, people will need to remain extremely cautious when using outdoor flames and power equipment as the ground will remain dry enough to cause any spark to quickly ignite a blaze.

Never toss burning cigarettes outside of your vehicle. Avoid parking your vehicle over dry brush as the exhaust system is hot enough to set the vegetation on fire. Where allowed, make sure campfires are completely extinguished before leaving the scene.

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