…FIRST HEAT WAVE OF THE SEASON EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND FOR MUCH
OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON…

After an unusually cool and wet spring, summer weather is expected
to begin in earnest across much of southwest Washington and
northwest Oregon this Friday, continuing through the weekend. For
inland valleys, temperatures will reach well into the 80s Friday,
possibly even reaching the lower 90s in some locations. Further
warming will make afternoon temperatures in the 90s more
widespread in the inland valleys over the weekend. Offshore flow
will bring sunny skies and warm temperatures all the way to the
coast, where highs will be in the 70s and 80s this weekend.

With the hot weather expected, now is a good time to make sure
you and your neighbors have a way to deal with the heat. If you
have fans or air conditioning, now is a good time to make sure
those systems are operating properly.

Given a much-above normal snowpack in the Cascades, rivers are
running cold and fast, and will continue to do so this weekend.
Nearly every year, people die in rivers in southwest Washington
and northwest Oregon due to cold water shock during the season’s
first heat wave. Hot temperatures can make the cool water seem
tempting, but river temperatures in the 40s and 50s can easily
result in cold water shock that can kill in minutes.