![\"washington](\"http:\/\/us.weatheramerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/washington-rain-1607.jpg\")
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Tuesday, July 16<\/strong> is shaping up to be a hot one across the Puget Sound<\/strong> region, with temperatures climbing into the upper 80s and low 90s<\/strong> (around 31\u201333 \u00b0C<\/strong>). But despite the rise in heat, meteorologists are clear: this is not a historic heat wave<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be warming up a lot from yesterday,\u201d said Cliff Mass<\/strong>, professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington<\/strong>, during an appearance on The Jason Rantz Show<\/strong> on KTTH<\/strong>. \u201cIt\u2019s not the end of the world. We\u2019re looking at mid-80s in many areas. Yesterday was cooler, but now things are heating up fast.\u201d<\/p>\n Most of the lowland areas south of Seattle<\/strong> are expected to reach the mid-80s (around 29 \u00b0C<\/strong>), while northern parts of the region<\/strong> will stay a bit cooler. By Wednesday<\/strong>, highs near or just above 90 \u00b0F<\/strong> (32 \u00b0C<\/strong>) are likely across the Seattle metro area<\/strong>, with slightly hotter conditions to the south.<\/p>\n \u201cWednesday will clearly be the hottest day of the week,\u201d<\/strong> Mass said. \u201cThen by Thursday, marine air starts to move in. We\u2019ll see a drop of at least five degrees, and by the weekend, we\u2019re back in the 70s.\u201d<\/p>\n Mass pushed back on any notion that this week\u2019s weather qualifies as a major heat event<\/strong>. \u201cIf you’re calling this a historic heat wave, that’s simply not the case,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a warm spell, definitely above average for this time of year. But remember\u2014normal highs for mid-July in Seattle are around 80 \u00b0F<\/strong> (27 \u00b0C<\/strong>). This is typically the warmest, driest time of the year<\/strong>, so it\u2019s not unusual to get this kind of stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n With onshore winds expected later this week, a shift to cooler, more moderate conditions is on the way. Still, daytime highs should remain slightly above average<\/strong>, hovering in the mid to upper 80s<\/strong> (around 29\u201331 \u00b0C<\/strong>) until the weekend.<\/p>\n Air quality<\/strong>, often a concern during summer heat events, has remained strong<\/strong>. \u201cIn fact, fire activity has been well below average this year,\u201d Mass added. \u201cDespite all the talk of dry weather, we\u2019ve had very little smoke<\/strong> and few fire concerns<\/strong> west of the mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, new data from Axios Seattle<\/strong> highlights a long-term trend: summer nighttime temperatures have risen significantly<\/strong> across the Pacific Northwest. From 1970 to 2024<\/strong>, 96% of U.S. cities studied<\/strong> saw nighttime summer lows increase. In Seattle<\/strong>, the average summer low has risen by 2.9 \u00b0F<\/strong> (1.6 \u00b0C<\/strong>); in Yakima<\/strong>, by 4.3 \u00b0F<\/strong> (2.4 \u00b0C<\/strong>); and in Spokane<\/strong>, by 5.1 \u00b0F<\/strong> (2.8 \u00b0C<\/strong>).<\/p>\n Mass noted that while nighttime temperatures are rising, it\u2019s important to consider why. \u201cPeople care about daytime highs, but those haven\u2019t gone up nearly as much,\u201d he explained. \u201cNighttime temperatures are more sensitive to the urban heat island effect<\/strong>, where concrete and buildings trap heat, keeping city temperatures higher overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n So while Puget Sound<\/strong> bakes under above-normal warmth this week, the broader context shows it\u2019s nothing out of the ordinary<\/strong>\u2014at least for mid-July in Western Washington<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tuesday, July 16 is shaping up to be a hot one across the Puget Sound region, with temperatures climbing into the upper 80s and low 90s (around 31\u201333 \u00b0C). But despite the rise in heat, meteorologists are clear: this is not a historic heat wave. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be warming up a lot from yesterday,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":6122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/h3>\n
A warm stretch\u2014but not historic<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Cooler air, better air quality<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Summer nights getting warmer<\/strong><\/h3>\n