Record-breaking heat to scorch Northwest

Doyle Rice | USA TODAY

The first heat wave of the year is forecast to hit much of the northwestern U.S. this weekend, and many cities across the region will see 100-degree temperatures for the first time this season, AccuWeather predicts.

Record high temperatures will be challenged or broken this weekend in cities such as Seattle, Portland, Boise, Reno and Salt Lake City.

This heat wave may not only top daily record highs, but may also threaten record highs for the entire month of June, or, in a few locations, all-time record highs, the Weather Channel predicted.

Heat advisories are in place in several states, including Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. Excessive heat warnings — the highest level of heat warning issued by the National Weather Service — are in place in Seattle and Portland.

In Portland, the weather service warned "heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be dangerous," in a tweet.

While the Northwest deals with the intense heat for the first time this year, the heat will continue in much of the Southwest and California, where it's already been hot for several weeks, unsurprisingly.

Death Valley, Calif., is forecast to hit a sizzling 121 degrees Saturday, the weather service forecasts.

The blistering heat will also make life miserable for firefighters battling the region's numerous wildfires. As of Friday, there were 15 large wildfires across the West, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise.

One of the biggest currently burning in the Lower 48 is the 25,599-acre wildfire burning in the San Bernardino National Forest, south of Big Bear Lake in California, AccuWeather said. It's known as the "Lake Fire."

The blaze about 90 miles east of Los Angeles has consumed some 40 square miles — nearly a quarter of that in the last two days, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The nation's total acreage burned so far this year has topped 1 million acres this week. This includes many fires in Alaska, which is where the bulk of the USA's wildfires are burning.

While the western U.S. deals with heat and fires, parts of the East will see a very soggy Saturday. Flood watches are in place in the Ohio Valley along with portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast due to the predicted heavy, soaking rains.