Hotter for the 4th. Dangerous heatwave arrives Friday, likely peaking next week.

Today : Happy 4th! The holiday will feature plenty of sunshine with highs about 5 degrees above average. It’ll be in the mid-70s in the mountains, with low to mid-90s in the Kittitas/Yakima valleys, Lower Columbia Basin, and Blue Foothills. Fire fuels won’t necessarily be the driest we’ve seen thus far this year, but that’s no reason to let your guard down. Please exercise extreme fire safety today–especially if you decide to shoot off fireworks!

Tonight : Skies stay clear tonight, and overnight lows will turn a bit milder compared to Wednesday night. It’ll be in the mid-50s in the mountains, with upper-50s for the Kittitas/Yakima valleys and the Lower Columbia Basin. The Blue Foothills will be a bit warmer with lows in the low to mid-60s.

Extended : Friday will be the first of many days with triple-digit heat. We’ll be about 10-degrees above average tomorrow (highs near 100 degrees in Tri-Cities). After that, we’ll incrementally heat-up with each ensuing day, with the heat likely peaking on Tuesday and Wednesday. By then, highs could be about 15-20 degrees above average (near 110 degrees in Tri-Cities). This’ll be a dangerous heatwave, so please limit outdoor exposure!

NWS Pendleton has issued a Heat Advisory (orange color) for the eastern slopes of the Cascades from 12 PM Friday - 10 PM Thursday. NWS Pendleton has also issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the Kittitas/Yakima valleys, Lower Columbia Basin, and foothills of the Blues. This also runs from 12 PM Friday - 10 PM Thursday.

The heat, alone, will be dangerous enough. When you factor in the fire danger, the situation becomes a bit more dire. We’re going with a First Alert High Impact Fire Day for Friday and Saturday for the entire viewing area. However, the extreme heat will stress fuels out even more for Monday through Wednesday. For those days in particular, we’re declaring a First Alert EXTREME Impact Fire Day. Fire fuel energy (compared to historical values) could reach up into the 99th percentile, at least. Especially for Kittitas County, Yakima County, and the Blues. Essentially, our environment will be a powder keg for large fire starts next week. Please exercise extreme fire vigilance!

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