Hot, hazy, breezy, and small thunderstorm chances Monday. Cooler weather in store later this week.

NWS Pendleton has issued a Heat Advisory for the Yakima Valley, and Blue Foothills. This runs until 10 PM Monday.

Today : Monday will be a hot and hazy day with small thunderstorm chances. The best chances for thunderstorms will be before lunchtime–specifically in the Blue Foothills and Blue Mountains. Now back to the heat, as highs will be about 5-10 degrees above average. It’ll be in the low-70s in the Cascades, with mid-80s in the Blues. Expect mid to upper-90s for the Kittitas/Yakima valleys, with low-100s for the Lower Columbia Basin. Haze will be fairly widespread today, with the thickest smoke being adjacent to the large fires burning in Morrow and Umatilla counties. Also, there’s a legitimate chance for more fire-starts today–not just from the lightning in the forecast. Winds will gust southwest (Kittitas and Yakima valleys) to northwest (Lower Columbia Basin, Blue Foothills, and Blue Mountains) between 20-50 MPH! The strongest wind gusts will easily be reserved for the Kittitas Valley. In conditions like these, fires could start and spread quickly. Fire fuel energy (compared to historical values) will be between the 95th - 99th percentiles.

Tonight : Haze will be thinning this evening, and skies should stay void of clouds. It’ll be a mild one with mid-40s for the Cascades, and mid-50s for the Blues, Kittitas/Yakima valleys, and in the Lower Columbia Basin. It’ll still be in the low-60s in the foothills of the Blues. Winds will still be a factor by late this evening, but will calm down a bit. However, southwest to northwest winds will still gust between 20-45 MPH. The fastest wind gusts, of course, will be in the Kittitas Valley.

Extended : We’ll finally see a return to average highs (mid-90s in the Tri Cities) by Tuesday. It also looks like haze could become a little less prevalent tomorrow, although the foothills and mountains proper (of the Blues) will still see air quality impacts. We’re eyeballing another small lightning chance for Wednesday–specifically for the Blue Mountains. There’s a similar chance for Sunday, but that’s too far out to say anything definitive. In terms of high temperatures, we’ll keep it hot and fairly seasonal overall. However, Thursday and Friday could provide some nice breaks. Highs will be about 5 degrees below average by then, placing the Tri-Cities in the upper-80s.

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