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Sweltering heat hitting Spokane over the weekend

Ashley Nirk and Cody Moreland stay cool while swimming in the Spokane River at Corbin Park in Post Falls on Monday. (KATHY PLONKA/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Ashley Nirk and Cody Moreland stay cool while swimming in the Spokane River at Corbin Park in Post Falls on Monday. (KATHY PLONKA/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)Buy a print of this photo
By Nico Portuondo The Spokesman-Review

Ready the lemonade and get that bathing suit out, because a heat wave is rolling through Spokane this weekend and likely will bring temperatures above 100 starting Saturday.

The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of near 102 on Saturday and a high of near 105 on Sunday.

If Sunday’s temperatures end up reaching 105 in the Spokane area, it would tie a record daily high for June set in a 2015 heat wave.

Steven Van Horn, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Spokane, said residents need to be wary of the weekend’s extreme heat, which usually doesn’t show up this early in the summer.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to know the signs of heat-related illnesses,” Van Horn said. “It could be something that catches people off guard.”

Van Horn said the weather doesn’t have to sour weekend fun, but recommended that outdoor activities happen in the cooler early morning and late afternoon hours. He also recommended moving mid-day events, like picnics, indoors when possible and to be careful performing strenuous exercise outdoors.

The heat won’t help with the ongoing drought, with most parts of Eastern Washington in extreme or severe drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Triple-digit temperatures are uncommon this early in summer; since 1970, the average June extreme high is 91 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Brandon Lipe, 29, and his friend Nathan Florence, 28, were already looking to escape the summer heat Monday at Boulder Beach, where the Spokane River’s cold water can provide the perfect respite.

The two friends said they might be back this weekend, and didn’t seem all too concerned with the projected sweltering temperatures.

“I didn’t get to enjoy summer too much last year with the lockdowns, so I’ll take all the sunshine I can get,” Lipe said.

Extreme heat in the Spokane area will likely extend past the weekend, with the National Weather Service predicting a high near 104 Monday.

Editor’s note: This story was changed to reflect that 91 degrees is the average extreme high for the month of June since 1970, not the average daily high as originally printed.