Not quite as hot, but still sizzlin'

SEATTLE -- After some warm temperatures-- we'll be cooling things off a touch in the Pacific Northwest.

Yesterday we hit some very unseasonably hot weather in the Evergreen State. Some new record highs set yesterday: 107 in Moses Lake, 106 for Walla Walla and Yakima, 89 at SeaTac airport, 88 in Olympia, 87 in Seattle at the National Weather Service offices at Sand Point. The hottest we've been all year was last Sunday with the peak of this heat wave when we racked up a 93 degree temperature at SeaTac.

Today started with a few marine layer clouds in some spots-- but they didn't last long. That little extra effort the hot summer sun used to burn off those clouds means that it wasn't baking the earth's surface for part of the morning. The result is slightly cooler temperatures for the region.

Today's highs will be still quite warm, considering the normal for this part of July is about 73 degrees. But, today's record of 92 looks quite safe. I'm forecasting high temps in the mid-80s this afternoon. Still hot if you're headed east of the Cascades or south of Salem, OR where there's still a heat advisory in effect all day.

As the ridge of high pressure weakens slightly, we're going to see more cool ocean air come in during the overnight hours to help keep our temperatures down. The 4th of July looks to have a few morning clouds and some nice sunshine-- with temps topping out in the mid-70s. The weekend also looks great with temps near 80 in the afternoon and lots of July sunshine. Remember water temperatures are still cold in many spots-- especially in rivers running out of the Cascades are all snow-melt-- so it can be a shock to your system and freeze your muscles in seconds, even for the strongest swimmers. Lake Washington, Lake Sammamish, and Green Lake all have water temps 65-70, cooler water for the Puget Sound around 60-- and even colder in the Pacific Ocean with some parts of the Washington Coast reporting water temperatures in the mid-50s. Always keep an eye on kids near water-- and always have them in life jackets. Always.