Sound Stories. Sound Voices.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
You are on the KUOW archive site. Click here to go to our current site.
KUOW's environment beat brings you stories on the ongoing cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, alternative energy, the health of the Puget Sound, coal transportation and more. We're also partnered with several stations across the Northwest to bring you environmental news via EarthFix.

Where's the hot Seattle summer weather?

Beach-goers in Seattle enjoy a Puget Sound shore in Seattle.
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Beach-goers soak up the sun in view of the Puget Sound and Olympic mountains behind during a likely third day in a row of record high temperatures Tuesday, April 19, 2016, in Seattle.

People may wonder when Seattle will get the 90 degrees days that were common over the last couple summers. Where's that hot weather?

The first weeks of August are typically the hottest all year in Seattle. But the clouds above will tell you, we're not breaking any records this week.

The fact is, these cooler temperatures are normal for this time of year. The last two summers were the anomaly. The state faced major drought and historic wildfires in 2014 and 2015.

This year's milder weather has been much more manageable for farmers and fire crews. Highs in the 70s are typical for summer, not strings of 90 degree days experienced last year.

State climatologist Nick Bond said the rest of summer could hold another story.

Bond: "Overall I think the second half of August is going to be on the warm side and is going to continue into fall. And so summer is by no means over. And then after that it's almost a case of all bets are off."

The warm side could mean highs reaching into the 80s.

Bond said La Nina is on the way this fall, which could bring cooler and wetter weather to the region.

He says that will be good news for winter sports enthusiasts and  the state’s snowpack.