With an excessive heat warning in effect for Western Washington starting at 2 p.m. Friday, Sno-Isle Libraries is preparing to offer most of its air-conditioned community libraries as “cooling centers” through the unprecedented hot days ahead.
On Sunday, community libraries in Lynnwood, Marysville and Mukilteo will open three hours early at 10 a.m. for those who need to cool off with air conditioning. Normal Sunday hours are 1-5 p.m. The Langley Library, normally closed on Sundays, will be open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. this Sunday as a cooling center. This link lists operating hours for every Sno-Isle Libraries community libraries.
The Stanwood Library will be closed Sunday, June 27, due to high heat.
With high temperatures of 96, 100 and 104 predicted for Saturday, Sunday and Monday in Arlington and Lake Stevens, Sno-Isle Libraries will close the Arlington Library and the Lake Stevens Library “pop-up” at Lundeen Park from June 26-28. Neither facility has air conditioning.
The National Weather Service warns that dangerously hot weather will linger in the region through Monday. It will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities and for the elderly and those without access to air conditioning.
The agency urges the public to take precautions and prepare for the heat. Sno-Isle Libraries offers a list of hot-weather resources.
Saturday through Monday, the Weather Service forecasts high temperatures in the 80s for most of Island County and in the 90s for most areas west of I-5 in Snohomish County.
For areas east of I-5, the Weather Service forecasts even hotter temperatures, especially on Sunday and Monday.
The Weather Service forecast for Sultan calls for three straight days of 100 degrees or more starting Saturday, peaking Monday with a forecast high of 110. The forecast for Darrington calls for highs of 100 or more starting Saturday, peaking at 107 on Monday.
In other cities with Sno-Isle Libraries community libraries, expect highs in the high 90s to well over 100 in Arlington, Brier, Granite Falls, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Mill Creek, Monroe and Snohomish.
There won’t be much overnight relief from the heat. Developed urban areas will remain warmer later into the night, with low temperatures forecast in the 60s to mid 70s.
Even by Tuesday, temperatures in most places will only drop into the high 80s or low 90s, and remain in the upper 80s for several days.
It’s an unusual heat wave, coming so early in the summer. Normal high temperatures this time of the year are in the low to mid 70s. Almost all existing high-temperature records for the region were set in late July or August. The National Weather Service expects numerous record high temperatures to fall in this heat wave.
Western Washington rarely gets high temperatures of 100 degrees or more. In the past 100 years, Seattle has recorded only three days of triple-digit temperatures.
