It was also the last time it was this hot on May 15th.

A very warm air mass is combining with a hot east wind to send temperatures soaring into the 80s Monday -- and in some cases the 90s. The record high for Seattle is 82 degrees set in 1958 and I get the feeling next time it's this hot on May 15th, we'll be talking about how it was all about Tom Cruise, the Seahawks and whoever wins American Idol instead of 1958 for comparison the last time it was this hot.

In other words, this record is in serious jeopardy.

To elaborate a bit, we have a very strong ridge of high pressure building into the area this week. That has pushed up some toasty warm air from the Desert Southwest. In addition, we have what we call a thermal trough, which draws air from the northeast instead of our usual cooler west wind off the ocean.

Not only does that east wind hold back the ocean breezes, but as it comes down the Cascade mountains, it sinks and warms up even more, combining to send temperatures into the 80s today -- with some spots near the mountains and in southwest Washington reaching 90. We're pegging a high of 85 for Seattle. It'll be a touch cooler near the water -- around 80, and then as we said, closer to 90 away from the water.

That's not all though, we do have some unstable air drifting in as a weak system passes by offshore. That won't mean much to the lowlands, but it could touch off some dry thunderstorms in the mountains. So the potential is there for a light show off to the east tonight, but no rain or thunderstorms are expected in the lowland areas.

If 85 is too warm -- and for many, it is -- we'll cool off a tad for Tuesday as the thermal trough moves inland, allowing our winds to switch around to a westerly direction, bringing in a little bit of cooler air off the ocean.

But the general air mass will remain quite warm, so we're still looking at temperatures in the mid-upper 70s or perhaps 80 -- although somewhat cooler near Puget Sound (low-mid 70s) and considerably cooler along the coast (mid-upper 60s).

Long range forecast is more of the same through the week, before we cool back to more normal levels by the weekend. Check the KOMO Weather Center for the full forecast.

In the meantime, find a nice piece of shade, a glass of iced tea, and maybe load a few hits of The King on to your MP3 player for ol' times sake :)