Excessive heat watch for Whatcom County is forecast as temperatures spike
Whatcom County and the rest of Western Washington are under an excessive heat watch as high pressure pushes the mercury 20 degrees above normal or warmer for the next several days.
Temperatures will rise above 70 degrees Friday, May 12, and reach into the 80s from Saturday, May 13, to Monday, May 15.
“It’s the highest temperatures we’ve had this year, particularly with the cold and rainy weather we’ve been having,” National Weather Service meteorologist Kayla Mazurkiewicz told The Bellingham Herald.
High-temperature records are possible this weekend and Bellingham could see its earliest 90-degree day, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service in Seattle.
May 28, 1983, is the earliest 90-degree day in Bellingham since the weather service started keeping local records in 1949, according to data from Bellingham International Airport.
Despite the heat, Mazurkiewicz warned Western Washington residents to take care around water, because the water temperature of rivers and lakes is mostly in the 40s, and the shock of cold water can lead to injury or death.
”Hypothermia can set in really quickly, for sure,” she said.
Some relief is due Tuesday, May 16, but highs are expected to remain in the 70s through next week — about 10 degrees higher than normal for mid-May.
Isolated thunderstorms could be a possibility early next week, although the forecast calls for mostly fair skies, Mazurkiewicz said.
This story was originally published May 11, 2023 at 8:34 AM.
