SPOKANE, Wash. — It won't take long for June to pour on the heat for the Spokane area. In fact, the first day of meteorological summer, June 1, is already forecast to hit the 90s.
This doesn't appear to be an outlier. Several models and outlooks point to well above average temperatures across the Inland Northwest from June 1-3. Models have Spokane's high temperature around 90 degrees on June 1 and close to the mid 90s on June 2. The Climate Predication Center even goes so far to describe this forecast as the potential for "excessive heat."
This, of course, is compared to averages for early June. Hitting 90 in Spokane is by no means "excessive" when it comes to summer, but considering the average high temperature is 71 degrees, this would put us in the range of 20-25 degrees above normal.
This is going to be close to record highs. Spokane's record high for June 1 is 94 degrees and it's 92 degrees on June 2. Models are already as hot at 94 degrees for June 2, which would break the record.
The true summer heat typically arrives during the second half of June in Spokane and data supports this conclusion. Spokane's average date of the first 90-degree day of the year is June 19. Last year, it took until July 16 to hit 90, one of the latest dates on record for the first 90-degree day of the year.
For summer heat lovers, this is great as the warmth will be on full display, even on Memorial Day.
But to add context, and some know where this is going, is that the summer season in Spokane is our dry season. About three months of exceptional dry weather tend to come hand-in-hand with the heat and spring has already been incredibly dry for the region. An early start to summer doesn't bode well for drought conditions, and by association, the wildfire season to come.
