Spokane sees hottest June day ever recorded

Saturday’s official high temperature is the hottest ever recorded in Spokane in June.

But that record likely will last only one day.

The official high temperature for Spokane, which is recorded by the National Weather Service at the Spokane International Airport, was 102 degrees Saturday afternoon. It was much hotter than that in downtown Spokane with heat radiating off concrete and asphalt, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ellie Kelch.

Temperatures are expected to hit at least 105 degrees Sunday, then briefly cool to the lower 90s by Tuesday. On Wednesday, temperatures will start rising and could reach above 100 again by next weekend, if the extended forecast holds.

“The trend is definitely going to be well above normal,” Kelch said. “We are not going to get a big system in to blow out this hot air.”

There’s a chance of scattered thunderstorms in the mountains and the northern counties through Monday, but Kelch said in most areas any rain would likely evaporate before it hits the ground.

Saturday’s temperature beat the record in Spokane for June 27, which was 98 degrees in 1925.

It’s unusual for June to be so hot. Triple-digit heat has only been recorded three other times in Spokane during June: 101 degrees on June 23, 1992, and 100 degrees on June 22, 1973, and June 26, 1925. Weather records for Spokane go back to 1881.

“This 102 is officially the warmest we have been in June ever,” Kelch said.

Saturday also was the hottest day in Spokane since Aug. 17, 2008, when the high was 103 degrees.

Other cities in the region also set new high temperatures. It was 107 degrees in Lewiston, passing the old record of 103 degrees set in 1925. Wenatchee reached 105 degrees Saturday, surpassing the previous high of 101 degrees set in 2006.

“Right now, records are falling all over the place,” Kelch said.