Clouds Arrive & Heat Moves East, Above Average Temperatures to Continue

After the hottest conditions in Western Washington history, marine air and clouds have finally arrived in the Central Sound area! Wednesday morning's clouds are the first to cover the area in the last 7 days.

I stepped outside and it felt so refreshing...at the time of this photo it was 64 degrees, a whopping 27 degrees cooler than Monday at the same time (91F).

The marine layer will bring substantial cooling to Western Washington on Wednesday and again on Thursday, when an even stronger marine push is likely. Below is a forecast for Seattle from NWS Seattle showing what to expect through next Monday.

The "coolest" days, with highs in the low 80s, are likely through Thursday. As we approach the weekend of the Fourth, temperatures warm again. Highs will peak from Friday to Sunday, with temperatures of 85-90 degrees across the area.

Even the upper 80s are a major relief from the incredible temperatures we experienced over the past few days. Now, the heat has moved east into the Inland Northwest. Below are Monday's highs in Eastern Washington.

Yuck! Widespread highs of 105-120 degrees. Richland Airport (just west of Kennewick) possibly tied the all-time state record of 118 degrees. More information about state records should be available soon. Many records were set in Eastern Washington yesterday, and the heat isn't going away, it'll just be slightly less intense, with almost all areas still over 100 degrees.

However, we are not done with the hotter than normal conditions. As local meteorologist Joe Boomgard-Zagrodnik wrote on Twitter, there is still very warm air aloft. 

The graphic in the tweet shows air at 5,000 ft. being approximately 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. As Boomgard-Zagrodnik writes, there is nothing to change to a cooler pattern, and with the very warm air just above the surface, above average temperatures will continue.

The 6-10 day temperature graphic from the NWS Climate Prediction Center for July 5th-9th shows a 65-70% chance of above average temperatures in Washington.

The entire West will have much above average temperatures. This will continue through the extended period, likely through the summer.

Below is the Federal Way forecast from Weather Underground through July 4th.

Expect highs of 78-80F on Wednesday & Thursday, warming to 80-86F from Friday to Sunday. Lows through the next 5 days will be in the upper 50s to low 60s.

Enjoy the much cooler temperatures in Western Washington!