Heat relief rains down in Arlington
Published 10:46 pm Saturday, July 25, 2009
ARLINGTON — Streams of cool water poured onto the soccer field at Twin Rivers Park.
Some 70 people took a refreshing shower Saturday afternoon courtesy of the Arlington Fire Department.
Kids and even a few adults played in the sparkling, cool streams as firefighters doused the soccer field from atop a ladder truck.
“The kids loved it,” said Sam Ringler of Tafton.
The event turned out to be a fun surprise for children who practiced soccer at the park, she said. Ringler’s son Isaac, 9, joined others to cool off under the giant shower.
Firefighters decided to help people beat the heat and have some fun, paramedic Tom Jackson said.
“The adults had more fun than the kids,” he laughed.
Whether heading outdoors for fun or work, people should remember that heat can harm them.
“Use common sense. There’s no prescription for that,” Jackson said.
A low-pressure system spun into Western Washington Saturday, bringing thunderstorms, rain and lightning to the region, said Johnny Burg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle. It may seem like a welcome relief, but fire danger was going to run high.
“Those storms can cause fires,” he said.
Thunderstorms were predicted to bring much-needed rain, but not enough to beat fire danger, Burg said. Lightning was likely to strike with the storms, threatening the dried-up Puget Sound region. Storms were likely throughout the day.
“People should stay inside if the thunderstorm approaches,” Burg said.
The weather service on Saturday afternoon issued a red-flag warning until 5 p.m. today for parts of Western Washington.
The warning was in effect for the west slopes of the central and northern Cascades, the northwest interior lowlands, and the central and south Puget Sound lowlands, according to the weather service. Lake Chelan and the east portion of the North Cascades National Park also were expected to be affected.
Heavy rain with a chance of hail was forecast for areas closer to the mountains, he said.
Even so, heat was expected to take hold again and last through the week, creeping into the 90s, Burg said.
Saturday afternoon wasn’t too hot for Jaqui Brown of Camano Island and her family. “It’s so nice out here,” she said.
Brown’s smiling grandkids sat in the shade at Twin Rivers Park, enjoying peanut butter sandwiches. The family came to Arlington to check out the farmers market and get off the island for a while.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
