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BILL BULEY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 6 months AGO
Harris
Bill Buley covers the city of Coeur d'Alene for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has worked here since January 2020, after spending seven years on Kauai as editor-in-chief of The Garden Island newspaper. He enjoys running. | June 26, 2021 1:00 AM
Triple digit heat could bring triple the trouble to North Idaho this weekend and well into next week.
“This event will likely be one of the most extreme and prolonged heat waves in the recorded history of the Inland Northwest,” according to the National Weather Service.
"Unprecedented heat will not only threaten the health of residents in the Inland Northwest but will make our region increasingly vulnerable to wildfires and intensify the impacts to our ongoing drought.”
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-90s today, about 100 on Sunday for Ironman CDA, then climb to 104 Monday and remain above 100 the rest of the week through Saturday. Tuesday could top out at 107.
"This could be the warmest that we're going to be seeing, ever, for the month of June," said Coeur d'Alene climatologist Cliff Harris.
The heat wave arrives thanks to a high-pressure ridge over the area.
“Confidence continues to rise that the region will see record-breaking heat by Monday and continue through mid week next week,” NWS said. “Daytime temperatures will be in the 100-110F range with many places seeing forecast temperatures that will tie or break the all-time max temperature.”
In response to dry summer conditions and increasing wildfire danger in the region, Avista is undertaking temporary changes to power line operations in its Washington and Idaho service area.
“These temporary changes are being made to decrease the potential for wildfires that could occur when re-energizing a power line,” a press release said. “In most cases, lines located in rural and/or forested areas are normally re-energized automatically. However, during the current dry weather conditions, Avista’s line personnel will physically patrol an outage area before a line is placed back into service. This can require more time to restore service but decreases the potential fire danger.”
Avista calls the operational approach “dry-land mode.”
“Avista is expanding dry-land mode this year by pairing it with a fire-weather monitoring system,” the release said. “This allows system operators and field managers to make better informed decisions on a more targeted geographic basis.”
NWS said people should avoid being outdoors during the hottest part of the day, carry plenty of water, stay hydrated, wear light colored, loose fitting clothing, and check on the elderly, pets and those sensitive to heat.
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