No Fire Relief
7/1/2008 9:30 AM
Thunderstorms in the Northwest helped bring relief to the record-breaking heat Tuesday, while fires in California continue to pump smoke across much
of the West. The break from the heat will be short-lived as heat will surge northward later today from the Desert Southwest.
The cooler air moved into the Pacific Northwest on Monday, bringing relief to coastal areas from northern California to southern British Columbia.
The
Midwest Regional News story reports that the heat moved
onto the northern Plains Tuesday, while cooler air spread into the rest of the Northwest.
Temperatures soared to record or near record levels across much of the region Monday. In Idaho, Pocatello tied its daily 8-year-old temperature
record with a high of 97 degrees, while the high of 95 degrees in Idaho Falls was 1 degree hotter than the previous record set in 1990.
The clash of air masses sparked storms in Oregon on Monday, with 60 mph-plus wind gusts toppling trees in Pendleton and in Baker County. More
thunderstorms fired up this afternoon and helped to break the heat across the region.
The heat that continues to build out of the Southwest has hampered firefighting efforts in central and northern California. The California Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection reported Tuesday that over 1,400 fires have burned more than 423,000 acres.
Smoke continues to blanket much of northern California and the steering winds are sending smoke and haze into parts of western Nevada and southern
Oregon. The smoky conditions continue to create a health risk, especially for the elderly, children and anyone with respiratory illnesses.
The break the Northwest received from the heat today will be a brief one. Hot desert air will spread northward again later today as a large area of
high pressure takes hold of the weather pattern across the region. As a result, many areas will again endure abnormally warm air. Meanwhile, Pacific
air will continue to keep temperatures in check along the Southern California coast through the rest of the week.
By AccuWeather.com News Director Steve Penstone
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