AUBURN, Wash. — Extremely hot temperatures this weekend will impact some businesses who do their work outdoors.
Eliav Cohen is the chief pilot and owner of Seattle Ballooning. Cohen and his team specialize in balloon tours. Their balloons often visit Mount Rainer and can also be seen from Lake Tapps, the Green river and the White River on days where conditions allow flight.
If temperatures in the area hit triple digits as expected, this means they might not be able to take people on their scheduled tours.
"The balloons use the winds to control where we are going," said Cohen. "The heat causes lots of wind in the afternoons and also the ambient temperatures, [as] it gets hotter and hotter outside, we have less lift so we can take less weight," he said.
Dangerous temperatures this weekend also means the potential and risk for wildfires is high.
"The biggest challenge is we can't fly in the smoke, if it's real thick, it's hard to see," Cohen said.
Seattle Ballooning has been in business for six years. Cohen said fire season comes every year and staff do their best to adjust.