West to Sizzle in Record Warmth This Week

 Jonathan Belles

Published: May 31, 2021

Temperatures in the West are set to soar to record highs as the new month begins.

The heat will be turned up from California, Oregon and Washington eastward to Montana, Idaho, Nevada and Utah as the jet stream is nudged into southwestern Canada. High pressure will nose into the region with sinking and compressing air.

Dozens of new daily record highs are possible as the warmth hits a fever pitch through Thursday.

Potential daily record highs are shown with colored squares. Some locations could set records on multiple days.

Heat alerts have been issued by the National Weather Service in parts of California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Areas in the excessive heat warning will see temperatures that could cause heat illnesses, including heatstroke and heat exhaustion.

Highs in the 80s and 90s will be widespread from the Northwest into the Great Basin and Northern Rockies at times this week. Parts of California's Central Valley eastward into the Great Basin will soar into the 100s.

Daily record highs are likely to be set over the course of the next several days. Here's a look at what cities could approach records and the current record to beat each day.

Tuesday: Fresno, California (105 degrees); Medford, Oregon (102 degrees)

Wednesday: Boise, Idaho (97 degrees); Helena, Montana (91 degrees); Pendleton, Oregon (96 degrees); Reno, Nevada (96 degrees); Spokane, Washington (92 degrees)

Thursday: Billings, Montana (92 degrees); Boise, Idaho (98 degrees); Salt Lake City, Utah (94 degrees)

Forecast Highs

Cooler air will spread into the Pacific Northwest later this week and then push into the Great Basin and Northern Rockies by next weekend. That should allow the heat to ease up in many of these areas.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.