We know it’s going to be a hot week ahead, but where is this heatwave coming from?

June 22, 2021 6:27 PM

Katerina Chryssafis,

Posted: June 22, 2021 6:27 PM

Updated: June 22, 2021 6:28 PM

by Katerina Chryssafis

SPOKANE, Wash. – We’re not the only ones suffering through these hot temperatures. The entire West Coast is experiencing a heatwave.

“Hitting 100 degrees in June or above 100 degrees is really unprecedented,” said Travis Wilson, Science and Operations Manager with the National Weather Service in Spokane.

Here in the Inland Northwest, temperatures rarely ever reach the 90s. That’s about to change.

“The heat that we’re going to be seeing next week could be all-time record breaking,” said Wilson.

Wilson has been tracking this heatwave closely.

“We have records back to 1881 here in Spokane. The all-time record at the Spokane International Airport is 108 degrees and it’s hit that twice before,” Wilson said.

That was back in 1961 and 1928. Come next week, there’s a good chance we could tie, or break that all-time high.

“There is a possibility and right now it’s about a 50% chance that we’re gonna hit 108 either on Monday or Tuesday,” said Wilson.

It’s not just happening in Spokane but across the West Coast.

“That storm track that normally brings the clouds, precipitation, and cooler weather is going to shift well to our north,” Wilson said.

Wilson explained when that happens, temperatures get much warmer and conditions tend to be even drier.

“If you do look at the records over the long term, temperatures are slightly warmer,” he said.

Wilson said scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have traced the slight increase in temperatures across the globe to rising CO2 levels. He says the overall shift in temperatures could make heatwaves happen more frequently.

“They may become slightly more common in a world where we might be 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer,” he explained.