Yakima's temperature could top a record today as firefighters across Washington and Oregon brace for the chance of lightning-sparked fires.

Today's high is forecast at 101 degrees, a tick above the 1987 record. The mercury on Sunday settled at 101 degrees, down 2 degrees from the 1948 record.

With all that heat comes a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the region both today and Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for firefighters on Sunday evening, alerting them that the combination of hot weather and lightning storms would increase the fire risk over the next two days.

The weather should be cooler by Independence Day, with temperatures of around 88 degrees forecast for the holiday weekend.

The wildland fire season historically begins around the first of July in the Northwest, augmented by reckless use of fireworks.

The worst of the lightning storms are expected to land in Central Oregon, though the Cascade range west of Yakima will likely see some thunderstorms, forecasters said.

Authorities reported no major incidents Sunday following the drowning death of a 15-year-old Yakima boy in Myron Lake on Saturday afternoon.

Witnesses said the boy was fishing when he decided to cool off by swimming in the old gravel pit, which dips off quickly a short distance from shore. A younger swimmer who saw him go under was not able to rescue him.

Inexperienced swimmers should avoid unknown waters, and all swimmers should wear life jackets and be with a buddy, experts say. Gravel pit ponds pose a particular risk because of their tricky underwater surfaces.

Yakima firefighters reminded the public that life jackets are available for loan at city fire stations, including 40th and Englewood avenues and 77nd Avenue and Tieton Drive.

Users need to return the lifejackets so they are available for others, firefighters said.