Seattle heat records broken once more, though cooler weather is on its way

Clearly not in receipt of the memo with the official rules (No Hot Days Before July 4), the Puget Sound region’s weather went off the charts again Sunday.

By 4 p.m., Seattle-Tacoma International Airport posted an afternoon high of 87 degrees, besting the previous record of 86 set last year. The National Weather Service office in Seattle by 2:30 p.m. posted a high of 85 degrees, also a record, the agency said. A record temperature of 82 degrees also was posted by midafternoon at Quillayute, on the Olympic Peninsula.

Those came after regional temperature records set on Saturday at Sea-Tac (86), Olympia (85), Hoquiam (85) and Bellingham (82).

Sea-Tac on Sunday afternoon also flirted with, but didn’t reach, another record: the earliest 90-degree day ever recorded at the airport. The earliest 90-degree day at Sea-Tac was May 17, 2008, according to records at the airport dating to 1945. A “normal” temperature for Sea-Tac on May 10 is 64 degrees.

Knowing that Seattle-area residents are generally mole-like people unaccustomed to prolonged bright sunlight, the Weather Service used the occasion to remind locals of some warm-weather basic safeguards: Check for kids or pets before closing up cars, drink plenty (of water), wear loose-fitting clothing, and limit time in the sun.

They also served up an annual but important warning that warm skies do not translate into warm waters: The temperature of most local lakes, rivers and the Sound remains in the hypothermia-inducing 40s and 50s, highlighting the need to wear a flotation device while on the water.

Don’t get used to the heat. A predicted cooling trend for Monday was already underway Sunday afternoon on the coast, where a midday high of 82 at Hoquiam plunged to 61 degrees by 3:30 p.m. as marine air swept into the region. The forecast calls for early mixed sun and clouds on Monday, giving way to showers and highs in the low to mid-60s for the rest of the week.