Tri-City area heat records set to fall Sunday, Monday

Hello, summer.

The calendar may say it is still officially spring, but this weekend will feel more like the dog days of summer.

“There’s no other way to say it — it’s going to be downright hot,” said meteorologist Nic Loyd of Washington State University at Prosser.

In the Tri-Cities, the temperature should reach the high 90s Saturday and then the triple digits Sunday and Monday. Highs of 102 degrees both days are possible, according to the National Weather Service.

It has issued a heat advisory from noon Sunday to 8 p.m. Monday.

Normal highs for June in the Tri-Cities rise from 78 degrees at the start of the month to 86 degrees at the end of the month.

Daily heat records could fall, according to the weather service. It points to the record high in Kennewick of 98 degrees for June 5 and June 6, both set in 1949, and the 101-degree record at Hanford for June 5, set in 1978.

A large, summery ridge of high pressure over the West Coast combined with air flow from the desert Southwest will cause the heat wave, Loyd said.

“While I’d like to be able to say it’s a total fluke to see such high temperatures in early June, we saw something similar a year ago,” he said.

In fact, the Tri-Cities is not expected to get quite as hot this weekend as early June a year ago. On June 8, 2015, the temperature climbed to 105 degrees in the Tri-Cities, by WSU records.

The early heat wave has not allowed residents to become acclimated to such warm weather, which could increase the risk of heat exhaustion.

Precautions are common sense — drink plenty of fluids, turn on the air conditioner, stay out of the sun, make sure children don’t get too hot, and check on elderly or ill relatives and neighbors.

It’s good weather to play in the water, but the Washington State Parks Boating Program warns that rivers and lakes fed by snow melt are still cold.

Many deaths in early season heat waves are caused by drowning due to hypothermia, according to the weather service.

Boaters in small craft such as canoes and kayaks should consider the possibility of capsizing every time they are out in the water, according to the boating program.

Paddle with a group, keep a cell phone in a waterproof case, have signaling devices like a whistle or mirror in a pocket of your life jacket, and follow manufacturers’ recommendations for weight capacity, the program recommends.

It also recommends taking a safety course for small craft boating, such as the free online course at bit.ly/1Y78wfa.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Tri-City area heat records set to fall Sunday, Monday."