Excessive heat warning issued in Tri-Cities. Campfires, off-roading bans ordered

Already hot temperatures in the Tri-Cities will be getting even hotter, according to the National Weather Service, but the worst of the heat could break within a week.

The Tri-Cities will be under an excessive heat warning this weekend through Monday, with a high that could reach 109 for the second time this month. Haze from wildfires also is forecast Saturday and Sunday.

The heat already has been blamed for the deaths of four people in the Tri-Cities area since July 10.

The high for Saturday is forecast at 105, warming to 109 on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service . Lows those nights will be 70 or almost 70, giving people little relief from the heat.

The normal high for July 21, which is Sunday this year, is 94, and the normal low is 58. The record high for the date is 110 set in 1908.

The heat wave the Tri-Cities is currently sweltering under started July 5 with a high temperature of 100, rising to 109 on July 9. High temperatures have been above the normal range since July 4.

Highs have been at least 100 for all but two of 14 days in a row through Thursday. On July 12 and again on Wednesday of this week the highs were 99.

On Wednesday a smoky haze from Northwest wildfires and cloudy weather — that included an early evening lightning storm — kept the Tri-Cities high just below 100.

The air quality in the Tri-Cities has deteriorated from “good” to “moderate” for part of each of the last week Ozone also deteriorated air quality some on Wednesday.

In the Tri-Cities, pollutants, particularly those blown by light winds from the north, dam up against the Horse Heaven Hills.

There particles bake in the sunshine on the hottest days of the summer, producing ozone, which spreads across the Tri-Cities.

The Benton Franklin Health District is promoting temporary cooling centers for people who need relief from the heat.

They include public libraries in Benton and Franklin counties, the First Avenue Center at 505 First Ave. in Pasco, the Columbia Center mall in Kennewick, the Richland Community Center at 500 Amon Park Drive, Becky’s Coffee Corner at 1120 Meade Ave. in Prosser and Renz Farmers Insurance Agency at 1108 Meade Ave. in Prosser.

Tri-Cities forecast moderates

Cooler weather is forecast.

On Monday the National Weather Service forecasts a high of 101, which could be the last triple-digit temperature through the end of the month.

On Tuesday the high is forecast to drop to 92, cooler than it has been since July 4, and the high Wednesday could be 93, according to the weather service.

The Weather Channel , which posts a longer forecasts, says the high could drop as low as 89 on Friday, July 26.

Fire restrictions

The hot and dry weather led to increasingly strict fire restrictions on public lands:

▪ In most of Eastern Washington, the Bureau of Land Management prohibits smoking except in vehicles, on boats in the water or in areas six-feet in diameter cleared of vegetation.

Campfires, stove fires and charcoal briquette fires are banned, although bottled gas stoves can be used in cleared areas with 10-feet diameters.

Motorized off-road travel is banned and travelers are required to carry a shovel and either a gallon of water or a fire extinguisher.

▪ A ban on charcoal briquettes and cooking stoves covers Mid-Columbia National Wildlife Refuges, including the Hanford Reach National Monument, plus the Columbia, Cold Springs, Conboy Lake, McKay Creek, McNary, Toppenish, and Umatilla national wildlife refuges through September.

Campfires are banned year-round. Smoking must be done inside an enclosed vehicle.

The McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge’s reservoir was closed to the public Thursday afternoon as its reservoir water was being used for fighting wildfires.

▪ The Umatilla National Forest bans using chainsaw except between 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. and smoking is restricted to enclosed vehicles and closed areas.

Vehicles many not travel off road or off trail unless there is no standing grass.

▪ The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife prohibits fires, including in campfire rings, in Eastern Washington. Camp stoves and lanterns are allowed.

Target shooting, except for at certain shooting ranges, is permitted only from sunrise to 10 a.m. through Aug. 15. Smoking is allowed only in enclosed vehicles and chainsaws are prohibited.

Motor vehicles must stick to developed roads and park only in designated parking areas or in areas cleared of vegetation within 10 feet of roadways.

▪ All Manulife Forest Management lands, formerly Hancock lands, in northeast Oregon were closed to public access as of Wednesday due to extreme fire danger.

The restrictions impact Manulife Forest Management properties in the Shamrock, Whiskey Creek, Noregaard, Little Catherine Creed, Meacham Travel Management Areas and any other Manulife properties enrolled in the Access and Habitat program throughout northeast Oregon .