September starts off with soaring temperatures

Summer is not over yet.  

Labor Day weekend, which is often regarded as the unofficial end of the summer season, was followed by a warm start to September across the Inland Northwest. Temperatures lingered in the 90s for most of the week and are projected to stay in this range throughout the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.  

A heat advisory has also been issued by the NWS through tonight and could potentially be extended if high temperatures persist, though most outlooks suggest a cooldown into the 80s and 70s after this weekend.  

The late-summer heat wave in the Inland Northwest is only one part of a record-breaking summer impacting just about every corner of the world. 

“During the past three months of 2024, the globe has experienced the hottest June and August, the hottest day on record, and the hottest boreal summer on record,” said Samantha Burgess from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service in a statement.  

As for local records, the jury’s still out on whether this summer was the hottest ever. “I do remember some days in years past when it got a lot hotter, like in the 110 range, so I don’t think we broke any big records,” said Dan Smith with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.  

Air quality is another issue Idahoans have faced this summer, as several wildfires continue to burn across the state as well as in much of the western United States.  

According to Smith, North Idaho has seen relatively healthier air quality compared to the rest of the state. “We only recorded very few hours when we got above the Moderate Category on the AQI,” said Smith. “All the smoke generated in British Columbia, Oregon, Washington and Idaho simply went around North Idaho ... so lucky us!”