Hi friends,

It’s another hot one out there today, although the smoke aloft might limit our heating just a tad, allowing us to stay a a few degrees below the model-predicted highs for the day. So instead of really baking, we can just moderately bake. Not sure that’s really any better in exchange for smoky skies. 😕 Most areas will see the upper 80’s and the hottest spots will touch close to 90. Stay hydrated, limit your time in the sun, and wear sunscreen!

Tonight, the flow switches to onshore and some cooler air at the coast will surge inland, but unfortunately it is not a big enough marine push to really knock us down in temperatures to make Friday seem a whole lot cooler. Most of us will see the low 80’s, with some mid 80’s possible in the hottest locales. Still likely warm enough to fry an egg on the hot pavement if you really felt like it. 🤔 However, a weak summer low pressure system is waiting offshore to move inland late Friday night into Saturday morning, bringing with it cooler temperatures and possibly even a shot at some showers across Western Washington. Sadly, it’s not a “grab the rain gear” event, or even a “you might not have to water the garden” event, the predicted precipitation totals are looking rather scant for our parched ground and the flora and fauna. It seems we just can’t catch a break from the grip of this toasty summer. The good news though, is that it will be cooler on Saturday, with temperatures in the low to mid 70’s instead, so almost a 20 degree difference than the last few days. Also, a switch in the wind direction aloft will help push out this current round of wildfire smoke.

By Sunday, that system will be scooting out of the area, taking any chance of precipitation away with it again, leaving us heading toward another warm and dry week on tap. It doesn’t appear to be quite as hot as this past week, but extended models have shown temperatures inching into the mid 80’s again, and a few outliers have shown a run at 90 again. Still a little early for exact temperature specifics, so it’s hard to determine for sure whether we go back into the roasting coals of the fire, but it sure seems that’s how this summer has felt. The downside to hot and dry weeks is that depending upon the wind direction, we are open to the chance of continuing wildfire smoke intrusions. It does appear that there might be some level of marine/onshore flow influence next week, so this could help limit the incoming smoke to some degree, and will help keep air quality in better condition.

OH, and don’t forget, those of you night sky lovers, the peak of the Perseids meteor shower occurs this weekend, August 11-13, and although Saturday night will have some lingering clouds and smoke moving out, the peak night is expected to be Sunday in the early morning hours into Monday (the 13th), which should feature mostly clear, non hazy skies! Conditions are expected to be quite good for viewing the shower.

(Photo of the Milky Way, last summer, 2017)