National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Dangerous Heat in the East; Critical Fire Weather in the Southwest

Dangerous, record-breaking heat will intensify across most of the central and eastern U.S this week. Heat indices will likely exceed 100 degrees. Heat is likely to continue across the eastern U.S. through the Independence Day holiday weekend. Critical fire weather conditions will continue today and likely Tuesday across portions of the Four Corners and northern High Plains. Read More >

During the morning of March 12, 2008, an optical phenomena was visible in the eastern sky from Spokane, a parhelion, more commonly known as a sundog. These typically (but not always) for near sunrise and sunset when the sun is low in the sky and the atmosphere is filled with ice crystals, typically from cirrus clouds. Unlike rainbows, which appear in the sky opposite the sun, sundogs appear to the left and right of the sun. The sun's rays are reflected or refracted as they pass through the ice crystals, forming the sundogs.

Sun dog
Right peripheral
Left peripheral