A sizzlin' end to July

COEUR d’ALENE ­— The National Weather Service office in Spokane issued an excessive heat warning early Monday in effect until 8 p.m. today.

NWS anticipated temperatures on Monday and today afternoon “to be 10-15 degrees above normal for this time of year,” in the range of 95-106 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the Inland Northwest.

Coeur d’Alene Press meteorologist Randy Mann called the temperatures “dangerously hot.” He advised people to be careful going outside during the excessive heat period.

Conditions had people in the county nervous about any signs of smoke on Monday, said Northern Lakes Fire District spokesman Jim Lyon.

NLFD firefighters responded to a call near north Maple Street and east Wyoming Avenue in Hayden Monday morning after neighbors had called in reports of smoke from a backyard.

The fire turned out to be a burn pile of yard waste. The homeowner said he didn’t know that the rule applied to properties outside of city limits. Lyon explained that anywhere within a fire district, which includes the entire county, is closed to open burning. Once firefighters explained that, the property owner complied right away, said Lyon.

The NWS excessive heat warning advised, “Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances,” since in such weather “car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.”

However, Mann added a bright note that Kootenai County area would be one of the few areas in the far west to experience some relief after Tuesday night.

“After that we’re going to cool down, dropping into the 80s and feeling more seasonable towards later in the week.”

Mann did not foresee any rain this week. Kootenai Counti is experiencing a very dry pattern, much as it experienced last July, he said. However he said the area might get some in mid-August.