Since 1881, when the National Weather Service began observing temperatures in Spokane, the mercury has topped 100 degrees five times in June. If the forecast holds, Spokane will double that number by Wednesday.
Amid a run of record-setting temperatures, seven deaths in Spokane appear to have been related to the heat, according to the Spokane County medical examiner.
Avista Utilities customers were relieved Wednesday that the utility had relatively few planned blackouts to conserve energy after off-and-on outages that came as record heat baked the area Tuesday. But for some, concerns about the utility’s capacity also lingered.
The grim toll of the historic heat wave that scorched the Pacific Northwest became more apparent Wednesday as authorities in Canada, Washington state and Oregon said they were investigating dozens of deaths likely caused by temperatures that soared well above 100 degrees.
The Biden administration said Wednesday it is hiring more federal firefighters — and immediately raising their pay — as officials ramp up response efforts in the face of a severe drought that is setting the stage for another destructive summer of intense wildfires across the West.
Hospitals and fire crews stayed busy Wednesday as the Inland Northwest baked at well over 100 degrees for a second day, but forecasters say the end of the historic heat that’s kept first responders busy with medical calls could be in sight.
Pavement on U.S. Highway 195 north of Colfax buckled on Tuesday, in what is likely to be just the beginning of infrastructure damage as a historic heat dome bears down on the Northwest.
Tuesday became Spokane’s hottest day on record when the temperature reached 109 degrees at the Spokane International Airport just after 4 p.m., the National Weather Service reported.
