The final week of July a heat wave struck the Inland NW with an abundance of sunshine each day. High temperatures warmed into the 90s from the 24th through the 26th and|then upper 90s and triple digits from the 27th through the 31st.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS OTX wrote it up.
The final week of July a heat wave struck the Inland NW with an abundance of sunshine each day. High temperatures warmed into the 90s from the 24th through the 26th and|then upper 90s and triple digits from the 27th through the 31st. Temperatures across the region ranged from 112 to 96. Spokane Felts Field was one of the hottest locations in the area, reaching 105F on the 31st. Spokane airport achieved 100 degree or warmer four consecutive days, which tied for 2nd place for the longest consecutive 100+ degree day streak on record. Thirteen daily records were broken across the Inland Northwest. DOH reported heat caused 224 emergency patients in Eastern Washington.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 25, 10:03 AM PST, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
1103 AM PDT Mon Jul 25 2022
.SYNOPSIS...
Very hot temperatures are poised to impact the region this week.
Many locations will experience upper 90s or triple digit heat.
There is a small risk for thunderstorms by late in the week
followed by breezy condition as the heat breaks over the weekend
into early next week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
...Excessive Heat This Week...
* Daytime temperatures: As we move through the week, temperatures
will warm each day 2-4F degrees and then by Wednesday to
Thursday our peak temperatures will occur across eastern
Washington and northern Idaho. We will flirt with some daily
record temperatures across the area as well. Locations east of
the Cascades have record high or near record high temperatures
forecast, including Chelan, Leavenworth, and Winthrop as well as
locations in the Okanogan Valley such as Omak and the typically
hotter locations of the lower Columbia Basin like Ephrata and
Moses Lake to name a few. Region-wide for eastern Washington and
northern Idaho, temperatures will range from 97F to 110F. And
while we are seasonally in our warmest time of year (late July
to the first week of August), what is more concerning is the
fact that our overnight temperatures will not see much relief at
all. For example, Thursday's high temperature forecast for
Spokane is 102F with an overnight low that morning of 68F. This
gives a daily average temperature of 85F. That is pretty warm
for anyone, acclimated to the heat or not.
* Overnight temperatures: Many areas of the Pacific and Inland
Northwest rely on overnight temperature recovery to provide a
natural cooling, especially those communities that do not have
air conditioning. In heat such as this, the overnight
temperatures will see little to no recovery as the airmass
remains warm. This is another reason we have an excessive heat
product in effect this week. This kind of heat will not only
affect those who have a way to cool down in air conditioning,
but it will impact communities without proper cooling, elderly
people, pets, and those who work outdoors. Please take the
necessary steps to keep yourself safe.
As mentioned we have an excessive heat product in effect for much
of the region. The Heat Risk level today (Monday) will climb to
the Low to Moderate level for most of the Inland Northwest. By
Tuesday through Friday we will see this Heat Risk elevate to High
and Very High which equates to a risk for most of the population
of heat related illness due to long duration heat with little to
no relief overnight.
* What is driving this heat? The 00z KOTX sounding had 850mb
temperature of 23C, which was a +3C warmup from the previous 2
days. It is evident the warming airmass is continuing to warm as
we begin the last week of July. Daytime temperatures this
weekend (Sat and Sun) saw a little warming each day, but moving
forward we will see several degrees of warming from day to day
with the peak of the heatwave forecast for Thursday. The axis of
the high pressure ridge will align with the British Columbia
Coast through mid week before weakening. If you remember to the
Heatwave of 2021 we saw 850mb temperatures around 28-31C which
translated to daytime max temperatures of 107-109F. With this
event, we are looking at just slightly cooler temperatures but
not by much. However, last year our heat was much earlier, about
5 weeks earlier. Along with the temperatures will be an added
bonus of moisture. Precipitable water values are seeing an
increase Wednesday and Thursday as the moisture overtops the
ridge. 150-170% of normal aligned with a weak shortwave feature
Thursday (as depicted in at least one ensemble model) could
result in high based convection. I am not as certain in this
outcome, but have some PoPs on Thursday to reflect this
potential.
What is next? By next weekend the ensembles are somewhat out of
sync but still all hedging to the same tune of a feature that will
weaken and push away the high pressure and bring in slightly
cooler air. This would also mean an increase in breezy winds. This
should perk up the interest of the fire weather community after a
prolonged period of hot and dry. At this time, confidence is low
but it is something we are keeping a close eye on. /CD
&&
.AVIATION...
18Z TAFS: No aviation weather concerns over the next 24 hours.
Scattered high cirrus early will clear by mid day before afternoon
terrain driven cumulus may develop. Winds will be light with
typical diurnal shifts.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Spokane 95 65 97 67 99 68 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coeur d'Alene 93 62 95 64 97 65 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pullman 92 61 94 63 97 65 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lewiston 100 67 103 70 104 72 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Colville 95 60 96 61 99 63 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sandpoint 90 59 92 59 95 62 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kellogg 89 66 92 68 94 69 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Moses Lake 100 67 103 69 105 71 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wenatchee 100 73 103 75 106 76 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Omak 101 69 104 70 107 70 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Excessive Heat Warning from 11 AM Tuesday to 11 PM PDT Friday
for Central Panhandle Mountains-Coeur d'Alene Area-Idaho
Palouse-Lewis and Southern Nez Perce Counties-Lewiston Area-
Northern Panhandle.
WA...Excessive Heat Warning until 11 PM PDT Friday for Central Chelan
County-Moses Lake Area-Okanogan Valley-Waterville Plateau-
Wenatchee Area-Western Chelan County-Western Okanogan
County.
Excessive Heat Warning from 11 AM Tuesday to 11 PM PDT Friday
for Lower Garfield and Asotin Counties-Northeast Blue
Mountains-Northeast Mountains-Okanogan Highlands-Spokane
Area-Upper Columbia Basin-Washington Palouse.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
High temperature for the day was 110. An 88-year-old resident of a Wenatchee assisted-living facility went outside and fell on July 25.
High temperature for the day was 100. An 80-year-old woman who had emphysema and was living in her car died Monday in Omak.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, July 2022
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1051301, 1051302.