Here’s what to expect from the heat this week in Whatcom County

Bellingham and Whatcom County residents will see the warmest temperatures of the year this week as a heat wave bakes the entire West Coast.

This week’s hottest days likely will be Tuesday, July 26, and Wednesday, July 27, with daytime highs around 90 for areas closer to the Salish Sea and into the mid-90s and warmer for inland Whatcom County, the National Weather Service in Seattle said in an online briefing Monday, July 25.

“A heat advisory is in effect for much of the interior and Cascades where highs will reach the 90s (around 10-15 degrees warmer than average),” said meteorologist Jake DeFlitch in the online forecast discussion.

Daytime highs should cool to the mid- to upper 80s later in the week for the Bellingham area, but could remain around 90 in other parts of lowland Whatcom County.