A heat wave is heading toward Western Washington, with temperatures in the 80s and 90s expected for the Seattle area beginning Sunday.
The National Weather Service forecasts a multiday stretch of "dangerously hot conditions," with the hottest days forecast to be Tuesday through Thursday. Overnight lows will be in the 60s.
The weather service has issued an excessive heat watch, effective Monday through Thursday, for the Puget Sound region, warning that temperatures will pose moderate to major heat-risk levels and heightened risk of heat-related illnesses.
While this week may be hot for one of the least air-conditioned metro areas in the U.S., temperatures won't be anywhere near the sweltering, record-breaking heat waves of the past few years.
"We're not looking at anything like 2021," said NWS meteorologist Samantha Borth. Seattle recorded its hottest temperature on record that year, with 108 degrees during one June day.
In the Cascades, the fire weather threat will also be elevated with hot, dry and unstable conditions, the weather service said.
The Sourdough fire in the North Cascades had grown to 1,890 acres by Saturday morning, with 5% of the fire contained, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. North Cascades Highway remains closed from milepost 120 in Newhalem to milepost 146 east of Granite Creek.
