Modesto could hit 99 on Tuesday. Give thanks we’re not in the Pacific Northwest
The Modesto area could hit 99 degrees Tuesday, higher than average but nothing compared with the Pacific Northwest.
That usually cooler region is in the grips of a heat wave that the National Weather Service described as “oppressive.” It forecast a high Tuesday of 117 in Hermiston, Oregon, and in the Tri City area of Washington.
The agency projects a gradual drop in Modesto highs through the Fourth of July weekend. The forecast is for 98 on Wednesday and 92 by Monday, July 5, which is the Independence Day holiday for most working Americans.
The average high temperature for June 29 is 90, according to Modesto Irrigation District records dating to 1939. The daily average creeps into the upper 90s in July and August before easing back.
Modesto area residents can count on some 100-plus days each summer. MID’s thermometer peaked at 108 on June 18, part of four straight days of triple digits.
The Pacific Northwest is suffering from what the Weather Service calls a “heat dome” — a ridge of high pressure that usually is confined to California and the Southwest.
“The historic and dangerous heat wave will persist over interior portions of the Northwest and Northern Rockies,” said an online alert Tuesday morning. “Several record breaking temperatures are expected to be recorded through the rest of the week.”
