Man's death reported as area's first to be heat-related

A man in his 60s has died in what the King County Medical Examiner says is the first heat-related death in King County.

Public Health — Seattle & King County said this afternoon that the man had heart disease, but the high temperatures this week were a factor in his death.

High temperatures in Seattle have stayed above 85 degrees for six consecutive days and soared Wednesday to 103 degrees, shattering the former record of 100 degrees reached in 1941 and again in 1994.

The health department has been advising people in the area to avoid excessive heat exposure throughout the week.

"We know that heat puts additional stress on people with underlying chronic conditions, just like the flu and other infectious diseases," Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health — Seattle & King County said in a news release. "Tragically, excessive heat exposure can be fatal, and it's possible that we may see additional deaths before the heat wave ends."

While temperatures have begun to drop some, today's high was still expected to be a very hot 96 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

An excessive-heat warning for the Seattle area remains in effect until 6 p.m. today. The Weather Service says the warning means some people could fall ill due to the heat.

The agency recommends that people drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, avoid prolonged sun exposure and check up on relatives and neighbors.

Early Wednesday morning, the Weather Service forecast a high of 98 for today, but later lowered its prediction as marine air crept more quickly than expected into the Puget Sound area.

As of 2 p.m., it was 90 degrees at Sea-Tac. Among the hottest places in the area were Woodinville (98 degrees) and Issaquah (102).

Temperatures were significantly lower today than Wednesday in many places, including Friday Harbor, which as of 2 p.m. was 69 degrees, down from 97 degrees Wednesday.

Friday will be cooler in the central Puget Sound area, said Jay Albrecht, with the Weather Service.

"The good news is we're looking at 84 or 85 at Sea-Tac," he said. "Even though it's above normal, it's going to feel better."

Sanjay Bhatt: 206-464-3103 or sbhatt@seattletimes.com