Drenching Downpours Drench The Midwest, Hottest Heatwave Continues In Northwest

The hottest heatwave in the Pacific Northwest’s history is still wreaking havoc on the normally cool area, with triple-digit temperatures.

Seattle is expected to reach an all-time high of 104 degrees on Sunday, just one day after setting a new record for the warmest June temperature of 101 degrees. Seattle’s previous record high temperature was 101 degrees.

According to Karin Bumbaco, Washington state’s assistant state climatologist, Seattle has only seen triple-digit temperatures twice in its history.

On Saturday, temperatures in Portland hit 108 degrees, beating the previous record of 107 degrees. With a projected high of 112 degrees on Sunday, the city is ready to establish a new record.

The impending heatwave follows many previous record-breaking heatwaves over the Northern Hemisphere, which were caused by a blocking pattern in the upper airflow. The jet stream decreases when the sun is at a higher angle, making the hot air mass even hotter.

Heavy rain is forecast to fall in areas of Texas and Oklahoma in the Midwest.

A flash flood warning remains in force in portions of the area until Sunday night, but the ground has already been soaked by Saturday’s storms across the Midwest.

So far, the greatest rainfall totals have been recorded in Chanute, Kansas (8.57 inches), Edmond, Oklahoma (7.14 inches), and Bloomington, Illinois (6.32 inches) since Thursday afternoon.

On Saturday, the greatest storm gust was 88 mph in Lamesa, Texas, while golfball-sized hail was observed near Wickett, Texas.

Showers and storms will continue to form near the frontal barrier that stretches from western Texas and New Mexico into the Great Lakes.

At times, rainfall rates might reach 2 to 3 inches per hour.

Strong storms with strong winds are also likely from Missouri to Michigan, where storms caused significant flooding near Detroit on Saturday.