MUKILTEO – They lined up in throngs, gazed into the display case and agonized over the choices. Mint chocolate chip? Rainbow sherbet? Old-fashioned butter brickle?
Michael V. Martina / The Herald
With temperatures climbing to record levels Thursday, it was all Donny Minteer could do to keep up with the demand for tall towers of creamy goodness.
“You can’t teach someone how to eat ice cream – they just have to find their own way,” said Minteer, owner of Woody’s Market on the Mukilteo waterfront.
At nearby Paine Field, the temperature climbed to 82 degrees, shattering the 1995 record of 77 degrees for May 26. Similar record highs were set all over the Puget Sound region.
Expect another record-breaker today, with a projected high of 85 degrees in Everett. The record for today is 81 degrees, set in 1958.
Those looking ahead to the Memorial Day weekend can expect temperatures in the upper 70s on Saturday and Sunday, and in the lower 70s on Monday, said Dustin Guy, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Look for clouds in the mornings that burn off as temperatures climb in the afternoons. There’s also a small chance it could rain.
On Thursday, an unusually low tide at Mukilteo’s beach uncovered crabs – big and small – starfish and jellyfish for hundreds of school kids from Granite Falls and Lake Stevens to squeeze, poke and hold.
“How could you ask for a better day?” asked Rainy Tudor, who was chaperoning her daughter, 6-year-old Madison. “This is the first time we’ve had weather like this on a field trip.”
The warm weather wasn’t without its problems.
Danica Nunez introduces her 5-month-old son, Jayden Marine, to the beach Thursday at Mukilteo State Park as her sister Jae Nunez captures the moment on camera.
Beaches were closed to shellfish harvesting near Edmonds after tests showed high levels of the toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Any recently harvested clams, mussels, oysters, or cockles from public beaches in these “red tide” areas should be thrown away, according to the Snohomish Health District. Cooking or freezing doesn’t destroy the toxin.
Eating contaminated shellfish will make you ill within minutes. Symptoms include numbness and tingling of the lips, tongue, fingers and feet. High doses can cause death.
The sun also dampened the mood of Rob Freedman, who said business was slow at his otherwise popular youth hangout in downtown Stanwood, Gargoyle Billiards.
“When we did our business plan, we knew summer, that’s our slow months,” Freedman said, adding that recent rain and clouds have helped keep customers inside.
Knowing the kids will want somewhere to cool off, the county parks department plans to open McCollum Park Pool near Mill Creek on Saturday.
The water slide is up and inner tubes have been checked for holes, said Tom Wunderlich, recreation coordinator for the Snohomish County’s Parks Department.
“The biggest question I’m getting is when do we open,” Wunderlich said. “It’s real enticing right now.”
State transportation officials are urging people who plan to travel this weekend to take extra care on the roads. Although all state construction projects will be shut down for the weekend, the roads will be more packed than usual.
Doctors at local emergency rooms and walk-in clinics say the first three-day warm weekend usually means they will have a series of falls, scrapes, sprains and strains to treat. The heat makes dehydration and sunburn something to watch for, too.
“Absolutely, we’ll get more issues with dehydration, particularly this weekend,” said Dr. Enrique Enguidanos of North Sound Emergency Medicine. The physician group staffs the emergency departments at Providence Everett Medical Center and Valley General Hospital in Monroe.
“This weekend, we’ll probably see sunburn,” said Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, who works at The Everett Clinic’s walk-in office.
“The other thing we worry tremendously about is water injuries and drownings,” he said. Public health officials warn boaters not to forget to wear flotation devices.
Herald writers Brian Kelly, Scott Morris and Sharon Salyer contributed to this report.
Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@ heraldnet.com.
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