The heat has been on for a while, but over the next few days, much of Idaho will bake with extreme temperatures. An excessive heat watch goes into effect Tuesday at midnight for the Treasure Valley.
The long and the short of it is, it’s hot out.
“It’s just your typical summertime high pressure system – often sits down over the desert southwest,” says Tim Barker. “This is just one of those periods where it’s sort of expanding into our area.”
Barker is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boise. He says high temperatures Wednesday could peak around 103 degrees.
While the daytime heat reaches dangerous levels, Barker highlights another unpleasant facet of this heatwave.
“Part of the problem too is that we’re just not getting as much relief at night,” he says. “The nighttime lows are around 70, which certainly adds to the stress on bodies.”
Among those especially feeling stress from the heat are firefighters. With numerous wildfires burning across Idaho, they’re battling flames in the harshest conditions says Jessica Gardetto, a spokesperson for the National Interagency Fire Center.
“One thing they really need to worry about is making sure they stay hydrated and to take some breaks, if it’s possible, because heat exhaustion becomes a real issue,” Gardetto says.
Given the extreme heat, authorities are reminding people to be mindful of leaving children or pets in cars.
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