One last hot summer weekend expected in Spokane before more seasonal temperatures set in

This weekend will likely be the last stretch of days above 90 degrees this year, according to the National Weather Service in Spokane.

“We’re looking at high temperatures into the mid-90s for the Spokane area,” meteorologist Greg Koch said. “Especially along the river, it’s going to be touching the upper 90s.”

That’s hot compared to the typical upper 70s for early September.

“That is well above normal for this time of year,” Koch said.

Spokane will not sweat this one out alone. With the Pacific Northwest region expected to have high temperatures and low humidity, the United States Forest Service warned that weather conditions are primed for the growth of existing fires and new starts.

An easterly flow is causing cooling over the eastern U.S., Koch said, which will in turn cause heat buildup over the continent, pushing the heat wave over the Rockies to the West Coast.

“While these seasonal east winds are not forecast to be as intense as the wind event experienced over Labor Day in September 2020, they may produce some gusts,” the forest service wrote in an email. “With this easterly flow, fire managers expect to see an increase in fire danger. This means new wildfires may be challenging to contain until weather moderates again.”

The Inland Northwest likely won’t see the wind gusts that can cause rapid fire spread but will likely see increased haze from wildfire smoke from Oregon and central Idaho. That haze could appear as early as Friday.

Early next week, temperatures will start to return to normal, with a high Monday in the upper 80s, then a drop by Wednesday to the upper 70s, Koch said.