 It's hotter than normal in the Pacific Northwest. ABC's Jeff Pozula. Here in the arid deserts of eastern Washington, temperatures are expected to reach 110 degrees or more this week. The region has already been experiencing a drought, and even with the mighty Columbia River nearby, water rationing has begun. Tropical storm barrels forecast to get stronger and bring flooding, torrential rain, and violent winds to the central Texas coast past midnight tonight as a hurricane around Palacios.