Dangerous heat with peak of heatwave on Friday. Thunderstorm chances increasing for Saturday.

The Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for Yakima County until further notice.

NWS Pendleton has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the Kittitas Valley, Yakima Valley, Lower Columbia Basin, and the Blue Foothills. They’ve also issued a Heat Advisory for the east slopes of the Cascades, and for the Blue Mountains. For all areas and alerts, the valid time frame is until 8 PM Friday

NWS Pendleton has issued a Red Flag Warning for the Blue Mountains on Friday from 11 AM - 9 PM.

Today: The peak of the heatwave will be on Friday. Highs will be about 15 degrees above average. It’ll be in the mid-100s in the Kittitas valley, Yakima Valley, and the foothills of the Blues. Highs could reach 110 degrees in the Lower Columbia Basin. Haze will be more widespread due to mid to upper-level winds shifting out of the southwest, bringing more Oregon wildfire smoke into our region. However, surface winds will still be out of the northwest in the Yakima Valley. In essence, the worst air quality today will continue to be downwind of the Retreat Fire in Yakima County.

Tonight: Our overnight lows will be some of the mildest/warmest we’ve had this year/ It’ll only fall into the upper-60s in the Yakima Valley, with low to mid-70s for the Kittitas Valley, Lower Columbia Basin, and in the Blue Foothills. Clouds will start to pick up this evening, ahead of an impulse for Saturday. Winds will also start to pick up, gusting between 20-30 MPH for the Kittitas Valley, Yakima Valley, and Lower Columbia Basin.

Extended: We’ll be a bit cooler for Saturday through Tuesday, but highs will still hover around 100-105 for most spots in the area. The big difference with Saturday, though, is that models are hinting at a chance of thunderstorms throughout the day. There’s a wide array of model outcomes, so we’ll put it this way–there’s a chance for thunderstorms throughout the day on Saturday, especially for the Blue Mountains. From Sunday through Thursday, we’ll have additional chances of thunderstorms. Lightning over dry fuels will pose a real threat for more fire-starts, especially given the sustained heat in the forecast. We’ll be about 5-10 degrees above average through Monday (near 100 degrees in the Tri-Cities), but we thankfully turn more seasonal by Tuesday and beyond.

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