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Heatwave Bakes Southern Idaho; Could Set Record In Pocatello

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A spate of triple digit temperatures are expected to continue roasting southern Idaho through the weekend.

Things are heating up around the Treasure Valley and across much of southern Idaho. Little relief appears to be in sight for the heatwave that could break records.

In eastern Idaho, people are in the midst of a heatwave that, if it keeps up, could be the longest in the region’s history. It’s not so much the temperatures that are setting records, though a few have fallen in the past few days, but it’s the sustained high temperatures says Dawn Harmon.

“In general, highs through much of the Snake River Plain and much of the lower elevations in eastern Idaho can expect the mid-90s to around or just slightly above 100 degrees for the next several days,” she says. “And that’s expected to last today through at least Sunday.”

Harmon is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pocatello.

If temperatures continue to soar well into next week, it could be one of the longest heatwaves in eastern Idaho’s history. The longest streak of days above 95 degrees in Pocatello is ten. To tie that record, Pocatello needs to sear until July 12 – anything after that would be unprecedented.

“Typically we’ll see a string of a few days where it stays pretty warm, and then after a few days we’ll see a break,” according to Harmon. “This time we’re not really seeing anything significant to help break these 95+ degree temperatures,” she says.

Meanwhile, in the Treasure Valley, Weather Service meteorologist Katie Branum says southwest Idaho is “under a very strong area of high pressure, and underneath that system we’re seeing temperatures reach above a hundred degrees.”

She says one of the primary concerns for the heatwave is people leaving small children or pets unattended in vehicles. Branum warns hot cars can be deadly. She says Boise is looking at a cool down – to the mid-90s – by early next week.

For more local news, follow the KBSX newsroom on Twitter @KBSX915

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