Originally published August 15, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified August 15, 2008 at 5:57 PM

Weather service issues warnings about heat

With one temperature record set Thursday and another one possible today, the National Weather Service has issued warnings for stagnant air...

By Jack Broom

Seattle Times staff reporter

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STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Donna Gonder, fanning at far left, Armando Mendez and Kim Coon are all fanning Louise, an 850-pound hog that is part of the Seattle Seahawks/Pasado's Safe Haven photo shoot at the training facility in Kirkland. Louise, saved 2 years ago when she jumped out of the truck taking her to slaughter and rescued by Pasado's Safe Haven, has since gained about 400 pounds and was overheating in the early morning temps. Bags of ice spread out below and around her, along with fanning, cooled her down.

CHRIS JOSEPH TAYLOR / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Noreen McAuliffe, 32, of Seattle and her husband Olaf Jensen, 31, hide from the sun under their paper Chinese dragon designed umbrella Friday afternoon while walking back from her friends house on Phinney Ridge. "I burn easily," McAuliffe said. "With the sun out like it is today, I need to hide under my umbrella."

CHRIS JOSEPH TAYLOR / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Andrew Elliott, 18, of Issaquah, swings out over the water before dropping into Echo Lake near North Bend. Elliott came out to the lake with two friends to escape the heat.

CHRIS JOSEPH TAYLOR / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Chinta, a female Orangutan at the Woodland Park Zoo, holds onto a popsicle made up of frozen juice, blueberries and sunflower seeds Friday afternoon. The Orangutans are given popsicles one to two times a day when the Seattle area experiences heat wave like weather Orangutan zookeeper Carolyn Austin said.

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Children climb the water-spouting Orca at Crossroads Park as the sun hits midday, and temperatures begin their climb toward to more than 90 degrees Friday.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Skateboarders gather for Friday afternoon's teen skate competition at Paramount Park as part of "Celebrate Shoreline: Clean and Green" week, August 12-17. The City of Shoreline will continue to commemorate its 13th birthday with a classic car show and festival at Ridgecrest Elementary, a parade in North City as well as Sunday's Sandcastle Building Contest at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park.

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Tyler Howe, 6, of Kirkland is the Rocketeer, preparing to launch into space - or as high as he can go - the rocket he has built as part of as part of Science Adventures Summer Camp Friday.

COURTNEY BLETHEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Gina Stepaniants, 6, has spent a lot of time this summer at Lowery C. "Pop" Mounger Pool in Magnolia. She had a lot of company during Thursday's record-breaking heat. The pool was at capacity with 338 people.

Five-day forecast

With one temperature record set Thursday and another one possible today, the National Weather Service has issued warnings for stagnant air and excessive heat in the Puget Sound area.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport hit a high of 90 degrees at 5:40 p.m. Thursday, 2 degrees above the previous high of 88 for Aug. 14, reached in 2005. Today's high is forecast to approach the record of 92, set in 1967.

Highs Saturday could reach the mid-90s — 15 to 20 degrees above normal — but aren't expected to top the Aug. 16, 1967, record of 98. A break is expected late Saturday.

"We'll have winds coming in off the ocean that will help cool us off Saturday night into Sunday," said Jeff Michalski, of the weather service.

A weather-service "heat advisory" in effect until Saturday night advises people to drink plenty of fluids and check on neighbors who are infirm or elderly, and to refrain from strenuous activity outdoors during the heat of the day.

Especially high temperatures are expected in the Cascade foothills, with Saturday highs of 99 forecast for Enumclaw and North Bend and 100 for Gold Bar.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has issued a smog watch for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

Although Thursday's ozone levels weren't high enough to be considered unhealthy, the agency was concerned those levels could be hit today.

Ozone comes primarily from automobile tailpipes, and "cooks" in heat and sunlight on hot days to produce smog.

Exposure can impair lung function, cause respiratory irritation, aggravate asthma symptoms and weaken the immune system.

The agency is advising people to car-pool, cut back on unnecessary trips and avoid using gasoline-powered equipment for yard work and recreation.

The Seattle area gets, on average, three 90-plus-degree days a summer, and has already had two: June 28 and 29.

King County Animal Care and Control officers are reminding pet owners not to leave animals in cars or confined in sunny areas outdoors. Animals should be given extra water, allowed access to shady or cool areas and not exercised in the heat of the day.

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com. Times staff reporters Warren Cornwall, Sonia Krishnan and Charles E. Brown contributed to this report.

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