Triple-digit heat coming this week

MOSES LAKE — Make sure the air conditioner is tuned up, and lay in a supply of cold water. It’s going to be hot for the next week. Darn hot, like triple-digit hot.

Currently there is “a large dome of hot high pressure over the western United States,” said Greg Koch, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Spokane. That same high-pressure dome was over the eastern and central U.S. the last couple weeks, but it’s made its way westward, at least for the next week.

But then, it’s July and late July at that, and it’s supposed to be hot this time of year. In fact the last week of July and the first week of August typically are the hottest weeks of the year in central Washington, Koch said.

In Moses Lake the average temperature in those two weeks is 91 degrees. Temperatures are expected to drop back toward the average by next Tuesday or Wednesday, Koch said, maybe even a little below the average. But that will bring another problem.

“We have to pay the price to cool off,” Koch said, and that means it’ll get windy. A windy day increases the risk of the spread of fires.

Summer 2018 has not brought with it one of those hot spells that lasts for a couple weeks. But it has been dry, really dry. “Unfortunately we have had almost zero precipitation in the region during July,” and there’s no rain in the forecast. Very dry weather in July and August has been a trend the last several years, Koch said.

But dry has its advantages – really dry weather means thunderstorms are less likely. And the grasses and timber are so dry that even a thunderstorm with rain might not be enough to put out a fire. “Remaining dry isn’t always a bad thing,” Koch said.

The Washington Department of Health started a new tracking system for heat-related illness, and results showed “a significant rise in the number of people seeking medical treatment for illness and injury related to heat during the high temperatures experienced earlier this month.”

In light of that, the DOH sent out a list of tips for staying healthy in the heat.

“It’s important to visit older friends, relatives and neighbors to make sure fans or air conditioners are working and living spaces are ventilated,” the DOH press release said. Seniors, young children and people with chronic medical conditions are at highest risk for health problems when it’s hot.

Of course it’s important to drink lots of fluids, but people should avoid beverages with alcohol, caffeine or a lot of sugar. People should take advantage of the air conditioning, as much as possible. Pets should have plenty of water, and neither people nor pets should be left in a vehicle.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.