Thursday, July 21, 2022 1:58 PM

Heatwave to bring the hottest temperatures of the year to the Pacific Northwest

A building heatwave will bring the hottest temperatures of the year to the Pacific and Inland Northwest next week, July 25 through July 29, potentially extending into that upcoming weekend July 30 through July 31 for the Inland Northwest.

A strong summer ridge will build over the Northeast Pacific and Northwest next week, which will skyrocket temperatures into the 90s & 100s. Some 110s are possible for the typically warmer valleys, basins, and deserts.

The hottest temperatures for the I-5 cities, including Portland and Seattle, look to occur Wednesday through Thursday. This is when Portland could be near 100 degrees with Seattle in the mid-90s. Areas farther south will be even hotter. Temperatures look to decrease but still stay above average and hot, by the weekend for the I-5 cities and areas west of the Cascade Range while areas east of the Cascade Range could see the heat build into the weekend. Some of these typically warmer areas as mentioned above could see temperatures exceed 110 degrees.

While these temperatures may not seem overly hot when compared to the Southern Plains and Desert Southwest, these temperatures are hot for this region and some areas do not have A/C. On a bright note, this heatwave won't be of the magnitude June 2021 heat dome, but it'll still be dangerous heat.

Heat alerts will be issued over the coming days for most of the Pacific and Inland Northwest. The fire danger will grow increasingly high too.

Potential afternoon temperatures Monday, July 25