Hot air will continue to bake the Northwest today, especially the interior.Highs will soar into the 100s throughout eastern Washington and northeasternOregon. Record highs will be challenged. Places west of the Cascades, includingSeattle and Portland, will remain quite warm for this time of year. Today'stemperatures, however, will fall well short of the all-time record highs thatwere set or challenged earlier this week.

The heat has left the region's vegetation extremely dry and resembling amatchstick. The spark that may ignite this tinder-dry grass and brush would bethe thunderstorms later today that will produce more lightning and gusty windsthan rainfall. A storm churning offshore will trigger the thunderstorms.

The thunderstorms will erupt across the Cascades and Sierra this afternoon.

The thunderstorms will be most numerous over northern California and Oregon.

The thunderstorms will even drift over southwestern Oregon tonight. A new roundof thunderstorms on Sunday will keep the wildfire danger high.

Story By AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski