Labor Day breaks temperature records, more could fall in this week’s ‘late summer grasp’

This Labor Day was one for the books.

At least meteorologically speaking, as Spokane set a temperature record for Sept. 1. Topping at 99 degrees at 3:30 p.m., 2025 just barely eked out ahead of the same day in 1888, which reached 98 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

The coming days are forecast to only get hotter in Spokane with a heat advisory in effect until Thursday. The service forecast Tuesday and Wednesday will peak at 101 degrees, cooling slightly to a 99 on Thursday. Friday has a high of 95, then petering down to 90 and 87 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.

This week carries potential to break more records for hottest temperatures for the day, the current top seats from Tuesday to Friday are held by a heatwave in 1988. The record for Tuesday is 97, Wednesday is 98 and Thursday and Friday are 96.

Lewiston tied its hottest Sept. 1, reaching 102 in 2025 and 1938.

“There’s a strong ridge along the Pacific coast that is bringing warmer and drier air into the region, it’s a sort of late summer gasp,” said Joey Clevenger at the service.