It was close.
Though the Twin Cities recorded a record-breaking 106 degrees Monday, surpassing the hottest temperature observed on record during the month of June by about 4 degrees, it ultimately failed to surpass or tie the all-time high record of 107 degrees observed in July 2009, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.
The Chehalis-Centralia Airport observed the peak of the heat wave around 3 p.m. Monday. The temperature of 106 ultimately lasted more than three hours, according to data from the National Weather Service, with temperatures seeing a substantial dropoff later that evening.
While the National Weather Service didn’t record record-breaking temperature in the Twin Cities, many residents did, with unofficial reports of temperatures as high as 111 degrees reported in some areas of the county.
Many other cities around Washington state did see record-breaking, all-time high temperatures this weekend. Seattle twice broke its record.
Matthew Cullen, meteorologist with NWS Seattle, said five of its six regional stations saw all-time records. Those include Seatac, the NWS office in Seattle, Olympia, Quillayute and Bellingham.
“That’s pretty remarkable in terms of the magnitude of the heat across the region,” he said.
Many services in the Twin Cities, including businesses and transit operations, were closed or altered due to the overwhelming heat.
Centralia Providence Spokesperson Chris Thomas said four people showed up to the emergency services wing on Monday for “heat-related issues,” including heat exhaustion. Over the weekend, at least 17 other people were seen in the emergency room for similar issues.
No local residents were checked into the hospital between Friday and Monday due to the heat.
