July normally starts with a bang; this year, expect some heat with it.

Just as Americans are breaking out the fireworks, state and federal authorities warn that forests in Central Oregon, after a week of rain, are again ready to burn. And experts say we need to watch out for a heightened risk of dehydration and heat stroke as the temperature climbs.

The U.S. Weather Service is forecasting near-record temperatures in Central Oregon for the first week of July. On average, the beginning of the month typically yields temperatures in the low 80s. This year, Bend can expect highs in the upper 90s and lows around a warm 60 degrees.

“We’re so used to opening a window at night to cool our houses down in Central Oregon,” said Marilyn Lohmann, forecaster at the Pendleton Weather Service Office. “We’re going to have to find another way this week.”

Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Tom Fields worries that area residents will take the upcoming heat lightly because of last week’s unseasonably overcast days.

“I think the main problem that the weather change brings up is that it takes the public’s guard down a little bit,” Fields said. “It doesn’t take too long for the forests to dry back out and become a fire hazard again.”

The U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry are preparing for a week that is not only going to be hot and dry, but also fire-prone, with the Fourth of July weekend around the corner.

According to the Department of Forestry, humans have started 221 fires that have burned 851 acres since Jan. 1. The 10-year average in Oregon comes to 150 fires by humans and 398 acres by the first week of July.

Deschutes National Forest spokeswoman Forest Service public affairs officer Jean Nelson Dean said the forest has already recovered from the rainy days last week, evident by three small fires in the forest last night.

“The rain doesn’t really soak into the bigger fuel,” Dean said. “It doesn’t take a lot of time for the moisture to go away.”

Because of this, possession or discharging fireworks on any Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management territory is a misdemeanor.

“Our goal is not to go out there and ticket people,” she said. “We really just want people to be aware of the dangers and damage that fireworks can cause in a dry forest.”

It’s not only the fire potential that should concern Central Oregonians, said urgent care doctor Tom Wendel of Bend Memorial Clinic.

“The beginning of summer is when we see most of the heat-related illnesses,” he said. “People aren’t prepared for it.”

Wendel said he frequently sees issues stemming from dehydration. In the most serious cases, he sees patients with heat exhaustion or, in the worst circumstance, potentially fatal heat stroke.

Wendel encourages anyone experiencing weakness, dry mouth, malaise, nausea, heavy sweating or rapid heartbeat after sun exposure to get checked out by a doctor.

“Just because you’re on the water or in the water doesn’t mean that you’re drinking the water,” he said. “Take what you think you’ll need for your trip and double it.”

He warns that blood- pressure-regulating medication, diuretics or psychiatric drugs compromise the body’s natural ability to compensate for dehydration. Anyone spending time outside should think about eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables, which are rich in electrolytes and water, he said.

“You don’t need anything high-tech,” Wendel said. “Just make sure to be extra cautious.”

Heat in West nears a record, anywhere

PHOENIX — A blazing heat wave that’s expected to send the mercury soaring to nearly 120 degrees in Phoenix and Las Vegas over the weekend settled across the West on Friday, threatening to ground airliners and raising fears that pets will get burned on the scalding pavement.

The heat was so punishing that rangers took up positions at trailheads at Lake Mead in Nevada to persuade people not to hike. Zookeepers in Phoenix hosed down the elephants and fed tigers frozen fish snacks. And tourists at California’s Death Valley took photos of the harsh landscape and a thermometer that read 121.

The mercury there was expected to reach nearly 130 through the weekend — just short of the 134-degree reading from a century ago that stands as the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

“You have to take a picture of something like this. Otherwise no one will believe you,” said Laura McAlpine, visiting Death Valley from Scotland on Friday.

The Western heat is not expected to break until Monday or Tuesday.

— From wire reports