Impact from Whatcom County’s record heat wave beginning to be seen, as well as felt
You and your family are not the only ones feeling the effects of Whatcom County’s record heat wave.
Northern Whatcom County reached 100 degrees at noon Monday, June 28, according to weather service readings at Abbotsford International Airport.
Readings at Bellingham International Airport were for 94 degrees at 1 p.m. Monday.
Also as of Monday morning:
▪ St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating three patients in the Emergency Department for heat-related issues. That comes after the hospital had five patients treated in the Emergency Department Sunday, one who was admitted.
▪ Puget Sounds Energy’s power outage map showed five outages in Whatcom County impacting approximately 60 customers early Monday. Almost 600 customers in Sudden Valley lost power about 1 p.m. and it wasn’t expected to be restored until 10 p.m. Monday.
▪ Since Sunday afternoon, Whatcom County firefighters responded to five outside fires, according to the PulsePoint app, but they were only on scene for more than an hour at one of them. They also responded for two water rescues.
▪ Heat-related calls for service, as a whole, were up Sunday, Bellingham Fire Department spokesperson Dustin Michaelis told The Bellingham Herald. Though he didn’t have firm numbers yet, he said crews reported that they were “pretty busy.” “A lot of its was for our older population that have been affected by the heat,” Michaelis said. “Many don’t have air conditioning, especially in some apartments and adult living facilities in the area.” Assistant Chief Rachel Carlson said Whatcom County Fire District 1 has seen its call load each day nearly double since the onset of the heat wave.
▪ The COVID-19 testing site at the Bellingham International Airport is closed due to the heat Monday, but is expected to reopen Tuesday, June 29, according to the Whatcom County Health Department. Northwest Laboratories has rescheduled appointments scheduled for Monday.
Business impacts
Bellingham hotels were very busy through the weekend and on Monday as residents without air conditioning booked rooms where they could find them.
Sandy Ward, president and CEO of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, said they had to postpone a lodging association meeting on Monday because hotel general managers were so busy with all the extra bookings.
Dana Weber, general manager of the Best Western Plus Bellingham near the airport, said it’s been hard for anyone to find an available room not only in Bellingham, but in Western Washington. Doing a search on Saturday, Weber said he couldn’t find a room anywhere from Olympia north to the Canadian border.
At the Bellwether Hotel, bookings were full on Monday and filling up the rest of the week, said Christine Jenkins, director of marketing and sales for the waterfront hotel. Along with the air conditioning, being close to the water has kept outside temperatures a little lower. Being pet-friendly is also a popular feature, she said in an email.
The heat wave has also led to the temporary closure of several local businesses, particularly ones that don’t have air conditioning. Some of the businesses that announced they wouldn’t be open on Monday include The Black Cat in Fairhaven and Casa Que Pasa in downtown Bellingham.
Even Mallard Ice Cream decided to close most of Sunday and all of Monday. In a Facebook post, the ice cream company apologized for the inconvenience but said they had to do it to protect the staff and customers. It planned to reopen on Tuesday, when temperatures are expected to drop.
Businesses that do have air conditioning could do a brisk business on Monday, as customers drop in to cool off. Those businesses include Pure Bliss Desserts and the Dakota Art Store in downtown Bellingham, according to social media posts.
At Pure Bliss, which was completely remodeled to include air conditioning installed by Ferndale’s Andgar Corp., they’ve been able to avoid heat-related closures, said owner Andi Vann.
Business was still pretty light on Monday afternoon, though, possibly because so many other downtown businesses were closed and also because people were opting for places like the beach to cool off. Her hope is that business will pick back up as temperatures dip later this week.
—Dave Gallagher, dgallagher@bhamherald.com
Roads not immune
Even the roads aren’t immune to the extreme temperatures, as the Washington State Patrol and Washington State Department of Transportation had to close State Route 544 near Everson due to buckling of the pavement caused by the heat.
Trooper Rocky Oliphant first tweeted about the problem with the road at 8:31 p.m. Sunday, June 27, saying the buckled pavement was “unsafe for travel.”
The roadway remained closed between mileposts 7 and 8 Monday morning, WSDOT tweeted. Detour routes had been set up around the area, utilizing Mission Road and Robinson Street.
“Our maintenance crews are working on it and hope to have the road back open by afternoon,” the tweet read.
The Mount Baker Highway was also closed at Wells Creek Road (milepost 40) due to fallen trees blocking all lanes of travel, another WSDOT tweet reported. A follow-up tweet at 8:16 a.m. said the road had been reopened.
Monday’s forecast
The National Weather Service in Seattle is currently predicting temperatures to reach 101 degrees in Bellingham Monday.
If it does, it will be the first time on record that Bellingham has reached triple-digit temperatures. The previous recorded high temperature was 96 degrees in 2009.
Inland portions of the county are forecast to reach even higher temperatures, according to the weather service — 109 in Lynden and Deming, 110 in Everson and 112 in Sumas on Monday. Even the Mt. Baker Ski Area is forecast to reach 93 Monday.
An excessive heat warning for all of Whatcom County remains in place through 11 p.m. Tuesday, while a red flag warning for high fire danger was issued for between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday.
“Another record-breaking day of heat lies ahead for Western Washington,” NWS Seattle tweeted Monday morning. “Along with this, high fire danger is expected today along and east of I-5 as conditions remain dry and easterly winds increase this afternoon. Use extreme caution today!”
Lows Monday evening are expected to reach the low 70s, as temperatures are forecast to ease a bit but remain above normal, according to the weather service, as highs Tuesday should range from 84 in Bellingham to 90 in Sumas. Temperatures the rest of the week should range from the high 70s in Bellingham to lower 80s elsewhere in the county.
Cooling off
The city of Ferndale and Whatcom County Fire District 7 will offer an opportunity to “Get Hosed by a Fire Truck” Monday afternoon.
Fire trucks will be “hosing down anyone who wants to get wet” at 4 p.m. Monday at Pioneer Park, according to a city of Ferndale Facebook post.
The city also will be passing out free water and ice, according to the post.
Record weekend heat
The city hit 95 degrees, with a heat index of 101, by 4 p.m. Sunday topping the highest recorded temperature in the month of June.
Bellingham first topped the 66-year-old record high for the month of June (93 degrees set June 9, 1955) just before 3 p.m. Saturday, June 26, at 94 degrees with a heat index of 99.
Readings at Abbotsford International Airport used for northern Whatcom County hit 104 degrees, with a heat index of 110, by 4 p.m. Sunday.
The unprecedented heat with record high temperatures will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities and for the elderly and those without air conditioning.
Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham closed its restaurant Sunday due to the excessive heat warning. “While operating in a historic building has its charms, you can imagine how hot it gets on warmer summer days — especially in our uniquely small kitchen,” it posted on Facebook. It continued to offer pizza, salads and drink service 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the beer garden.
Mambo Italiano also posted that it will close Sunday and Monday, saying “we are unequipped for this type of weather in our restaurant.”
This story was originally published June 28, 2021 at 7:38 AM.
