Blistering heat was expected to spread across a vast portion of the Western United States on Friday and through the weekend, with temperatures soaring into the 90s and even to over 120 degrees from the deserts of Arizona and California to the rolling plains of Montana.
The forecast showed the heat peaking in many places on Saturday and Sunday, when afternoon temperatures could rise as high as 103 (39.5°C) in Sacramento, 105 (40.5°C) in Salt Lake City, 115 (46°C) in Las Vegas and 117 (47 °C) in Palm Springs, according to the National Weather Service.
-Amy Graff writing for the New York Times
There were two highs of 91 (33°C) on July 20 and 21, and I count 6 days in the 80s, looking at the National Weather Service data. We have not had wildfire smoke here in the city of Seattle so far.
We should not be fooled by that. National Public Radio reports that ‘Fire season in the Pacific Northwest is off to a roaring start, with fire officials predicting explosive growth of eastern Washington wildfires in the days ahead’. The winter snowpacks were 50% of the normal levels and vegetation is dry as tinder due to years of drought conditions. [Headlines and graphic from The New York Times]