Seattle sees 4 days in a row of record springtime heat

Seattle, Bellingham, and Olympia all broke temperature records on Monday.

For Seattle and Olympia, it was the fourth record-breaking day in a row.

Seattle’s University District and Boeing Field hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit, while Sea-Tac Airport hit 88, and Olympia Airport 92, making it the warmest May 15th on record, according to the National Weather Service.

Bellingham Airport and Quillayute Airport, west of Forks on the Olympic Peninsula, both reached 86 degrees. It was Bellingham's second record-breaking day since Friday and Quillayute's third day in a row of record heat.

The spring heat wave has pushed temperatures 20 degrees above normal in much of Washington state and western Canada since late last week.

Some un-air-conditioned schools in King and Pierce counties reported "unbearable" temperatures on Monday as students took state standardized tests.

The Canadian Press reports the border-spanning mass of hot air broke nearly 40 daily temperature records across British Columbia and Alberta on Sunday, and has exacerbated the provinces’ wildfire and flooding emergencies as heat desiccates vegetation and melts mountain snowpack.

Heat waves are coming more frequently around the world as human pollution continues to alter the global climate.

The National Weather Service says Seattle temperatures should only reach the low 80s on Tuesday, still well above normal for mid-May.