Area Swelters Under First Summer Heat Wave

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After the first blast of seasonal heat this week, the region is gearing up for a hot weekend as summer officially gets underway.

Temperatures have topped 85 degrees every day from Sunday to Wednesday, with the heat reaching 88 degrees every day but Tuesday, according to readings taken at the Chehalis-Centralia Airport.

The National Weather Service came close to issuing an excessive heat warning, according to hydrologist Brent Bower, but conditions fell just below its thresholds for doing so. 

With warm temperatures returning over the weekend, residents would still be well-suited to follow the directives issued for such conditions — stay hydrated, remain indoors when possible and avoid too much exertion when outside.

“[A warning] was something we were thinking about for this one,” Bower said. “If it was a few degrees warmer, we probably would have.”

Warnings are determined by conditions like temperature and humidity, as well as the duration of conditions and the acclimation of locals. In the Pacific Northwest, for example, residents are less prepared to handle a heat wave than people who live in Phoenix.



Since this wave marks the first severe heat of the year, people might also be less prepared for temperatures nearing 90 than if it was a mid-summer swelter.

“If we’ve had a cool spring, the first [heat wave] of the year would start getting people acclimated, but if it’s a really strong one they’re not acclimated yet seasonally,” Bower said.

Bower said the conditions have been caused by an eastbound, high-pressure system that is also pulling in warm air from the south. The conditions have not allowed temperatures to cool off significantly at night, although after a warm evening Wednesday, the heat is expected to drop into a more normal range before spiking again Sunday. 

The high-pressure system rolling in this weekend is not expected to last as long as the one that lingered during the week. Such systems, while bringing heat, can also lead to thunderstorms in the mountains and surrounding foothills. Though Centralia and the surrounding areas typically avoid such weather, conditions may occasionally approach this far west.