Health officials are urging people to stay close to the air conditioner this weekend because of an incoming oppressive heat wave.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for Saturday and Sunday in Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon. Forecasters predict it will be one of the earliest heat waves of this magnitude and that high-temperature records will be broken.
The unseasonably strong heat wave will settle over the region starting today. It will reach its apex with temperatures reaching 99 degrees Saturday and 100 degrees Sunday — nearly 30 degrees hotter than the average of 71 degrees for both days. Temperatures will settle down to 87 degrees Monday and will be in the 70s in the middle of next week, forecasters said.
The cause of the heat is a strong high-pressure system settling over the entire western United States, said Matthew Cullen, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
“It’s going to be quite hot everywhere,” he said. “The coast isn’t going to be included (in the heat watch), but it’s still going to be 20 degrees or so above normal on the coast.”
Staying cool
Clark County health officials are warning people to be cautious during the heat wave.
“We are encouraging people to avoid or limit physical activity outdoors, take shelter in air-conditioned buildings, and drink plenty of fluids,” Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer, said in a news release. “Elderly people and the very young are especially vulnerable during periods of intense or prolonged heat.”
Health officials also said people could take a shower or bath to cool down if necessary.
Although swimming is a great way to cool down, natural waterways also can be dangerously cold, and swimming is considered highly unsafe in the Columbia River. Children should always wear life jackets and everyone should wear them while swimming anywhere without lifeguards or when on a boat, jet ski or inner tube, according to the county’s Public Health department.
Pet precautions
If you plan on going out with your pet, it might be best to go to the lake and not on a hike.
Tiffany Anderson, chief of staff at Banfield Pet Hospital Salmon Creek, said it’s important to keep pets out of the hot temperatures. While it’s well-known that dogs shouldn’t be left in hot cars, it’s not as commonly understood how harsh direct sunlight can be, she said.
“It can be very hot for pets because they have a hard time reducing their body temperatures,” she said. That’s especially true for overweight pets or short-nosed dog breeds such as pugs, bulldogs or Boston terriers.
Also, hot roads and sidewalks can cause burns to a dog’s paws.
She also said to keep an eye out for excessive panting, bright-red gums or strange behavior. Any of those could be a sign of heat stroke.
Unseasonably warm
Average temperatures last month were about 2.5 degrees above normal. In May, Vancouver had about 33 percent less precipitation than normal, accumulating about 1.63 inches of rain — .84 inch below normal.
The unseasonably warm weather also has hit the local snowpack hard. The Lower Columbia River Basin has 48 percent of its average snow levels, despite getting 116 percent of average precipitation.
It’s faring better than snowpacks in other parts of the state. The Upper Columbia River Basin has zero snow remaining, and the Olympic Peninsula has 1 percent of its average snow levels.
