SANDPOINT — North Idaho has experienced record breaking heat over the last three days, thanks to a high-pressure system that has remained over the region, according to Charlotte Dewey, a meteorologist at the Spokane office of the National Weather Service. 

In Sandpoint, the heat reached 95 degrees Wednesday, tying a record that had stood since 1988 respectively. Dewey said that high-pressure system causing the heat has a compounding effect on itself, when the hot air doesn’t move. 

"It’s remaining in place, that’s why our hot weather is persisting for several days,” Dewey said. “That’s allowing the warm air to continue to warm up, not until we see another weather system push it out will we see any relief.” 

Since Tuesday, all of North Idaho has remained under a heat advisory which will remain in effect until Thursday evening. Dewey said that the heat presents a significant danger to those who cannot cool down or lack proper hydration. 

She advised that people should focus on drinking fluids, wearing light-colored, loose-fitting clothing and staying in the shade as much as possible. These measures should help mitigate some of the risks of prolonged exposure to the high heat, Dewey said. 

In addition to the high heat, Dewey said that the atmospheric conditions have been unstable, generating isolated thunderstorms. The Sandpoint area experienced one of these last Friday evening, that featured heavy rain and hail before the heat returned. 

"There are unstable conditions that produce little isolated thunderstorms,” Dewey said. “When atmosphere is more stable that’s when we have the more quiet weather, sunny days, cloud free skies. Having a little bit of instability helps generate thunderstorms.” 

These isolated thunderstorms have produced lightning, which combined with the high heat had increased wildfire activity. According to the U.S. Forest Service, 29 wildfires have been confirmed across the Coeur d’Alene Interagency Dispatch Zone since the Friday storm. 

Most of the fires have been contained or controlled since that time, however two fires have outlasted the initial containment efforts. The Ulm Creek Fire, near Shoshone creek on the Idaho and Montana Border, sits at 400 acres and has been upgraded to a Type 3 incident. 

The other is the one-acre Green Mountain Fire which is located below the Green Monarch Ridge facing Lake Pend Oreille. Crews used aviation support to keep the fire in check over the weekend and direct firefighting has not occurred due to safety concerns.  

Fire crews should get some relief heading into next week, Dewey said that the high-pressure system should be breaking up toward the end of the week, lowering temperatures. As that leaves, some “upper-level weather disturbances” will bring more thunderstorms and rain to the area beginning next week, according to Dewey. 

"Our ridge of high pressure will be shifting father east, so we’ll introduce that with the upper-level weather disturbance that’s going to bring chances for rain showers,” Dewey said. “Right now, it doesn’t look like we’ll see much in the way of heavy rain, but some scattered chances of rain showers could bring precipitation into North Idaho.”