Dangerous heat and fire weather expected to ramp up after the 4th

Today : Tuesday will be a day with more sunshine compared to Monday, although we’ll still be seasonal. Highs will be in the low to mid-60s in the Cascades and Blues, with low to mid-80s in the Kittitas/Yakima valleys and in the foothills of the Blues. Things could heat-up to near 90-degrees in the Lower Columbia Basin. Just like on Monday, it'll be another blustery one. Winds will mainly gust with a westerly component between 20-45 MPH–the strongest gusts being in the Kittitas Valley.

Tonight : Skies stay clear tonight. Overnight lows will be seasonal and comfortable. Expect mid-40s in the Cascades and Blues, with low to mid-50s for the rest of the area. Winds will calm down in the mountains, but will still gust between 20-45 MPH in between. The strongest gusts will continue to be in the Kittitas Valley.

Extended : Our weather will essentially be the same for Wednesday. We’ll have plenty of sunshine, and highs will still be just about on par for early July. However, all of that changes starting on the 4th of July. By then, highs will rise to about 5-10 degrees above average (mid-90s in the Tri-Cities). We trend even hotter for Friday through Monday, as highs will jump to values 15-20-degrees above average (near 105-degrees in the Tri-Cities). For now, Saturday and Sunday look to be the hottest days.

The heatwave for Friday through Monday will trigger multiple First Alert High Impact Fire Days. on Saturday, this goes for the entire viewing area. However, we’ll up the ante by going with a First Alert EXTREME Impact Fire Day for Sunday and Monday–for Kittitas and Yakima counties on Sunday, and for Kittitas/Yakima counties and the Blue Mountains on Monday. Fire fuel energy could flirt with the 98th and 99th percentile for all of fire season—very dangerous stuff!!!

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