A cold front is bringing some relief to the Northwest — but also wind

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AILSA CHANG, HOST:

There is finally a reprieve coming for parts of the Northwestern U.S. Record-breaking heat has baked the region for more than two weeks. Now a cold front is bringing cooler temperatures but also wind. And as NPR's Kirk Siegler reports, that could worsen wildfires and smoke that's already choking the region.

KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE: Records are falling across the Northwest, where forecasts have looked more like Texas than a region known for its refuges of cooler forests. Near Glacier National Park, Kalispell, Mont., made history with 14 straight days of temperatures above 90. On Sunday, Spokane, Wash., had one of its hottest days ever at 106. And that same day, the mercury here in Boise hit a record 108.

ZACK LANE: I mean, yeah, we definitely take our breaks, but more more water intake than anything.

SIEGLER: Zack Lane is powering through work on a high-rise condo construction site. He and Lewis See start at dawn and have been quitting by 3. This blacktop is sweltering.

LEWIS SEE: Well, you just - you don't really have a choice, do you? I mean, you got to work, right?

LANE: Yeah. If you don't want to work, you don't have a job.

SIEGLER: The National Weather Service is issuing rare extreme heat advisories, warning people to limit their outdoor time or stay indoors if they can, especially with all the wildfire smoke.

BILL WOJCIK: I call it a heat wave. People call it a heat dome. But, yeah, it's been going on for a couple weeks now.

SIEGLER: Meteorologist Bill Wojcik blames a persistent high-pressure ridge sending desert heat as far north as Montana, not exactly known for its widespread air conditioning. Wojcik says a cold front today will bring relief but also winds up to 50 miles an hour. Power companies are warning of preemptive shutoffs.

WOJCIK: The good news is we are going to see a break regionally here with the heat. The bad news is we still have a lot of active wildfires.

SIEGLER: A 375-square-mile range fire in Oregon has shut down Interstate 84, the main link between Portland and Boise. And the wind is prompting fire weather advisories in areas that were already in drought for months. Ryan Rodruck with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources says it's like bad news, good news.

RYAN RODRUCK: Well, it does certainly improve conditions for our firefighters on the ground when we see those temperatures begin to decrease.

SIEGLER: He's talking from the Black Canyon Fire, which has forced evacuations near Yakima.

RODRUCK: However, with that dry cold front, what we're seeing and potentially what you're hearing on my audio right now is an increase in wind activity, which always presents a challenge to firefighting.

SIEGLER: But this is more than your typical summer heat wave. Climate scientists blame these prolonged triple-digit stretches on human-caused climate change. After the tenth day in a row of temperatures above 100, teenage climate activists in Boise staged a candlelight vigil to mourn the deaths being blamed on extreme heat here and across the country.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Next year, I'm getting a raft.

SIEGLER: On the lighter side, people are desperate to cool off.

JESSIE PALENCAR: Yeah, either be in water or be in the mountains or be in AC.

SIEGLER: Jessie Palencar is dragging her tube onto a boat ramp after a float down the Boise River. You can't even see the mountains today due to the dense smoke, but nearby Ginger Cuzo (ph) is making do.

GINGER CUZO: Yeah, it's been hot. I'm really loving the 6 a.m. hour. It's been nice.

SIEGLER: The icy cold water in this tree-canopied river running right through the city is more popular than ever as these heat domes persist.

Kirk Siegler, NPR News, Boise. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.