Fire Weather Watch Could Bring Wild Fire and Storms
It's about 100 degrees today and we are going to be experiencing a drop in temperatures over the next few days for good reason. Gusty winds and a cold front could cause some concerns for potential wildfires.
The National Weather Service in Pendleton is reporting that we are now under a Fire Weather Watch Warning until late Thursday night.
Here is what the NWS is reporting:
FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 610, 639, 641, AND 675
STRONG WINDS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL OREGON AND SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON THURSDAY
A cold front will move through the region Thursday with strong winds in the lee of the Cascades and across the Columbia Basin.
Humidity levels will be low enough to support rapid fire spread with any new ignitions. The National Weather Service in Pendleton has issued a Fire Weather Watch, which is in effect from Thursday morning through Thursday evening.
The areas that will be most affected are the east slopes of Central Oregon Cascades - east slopes of the Northern Oregon Cascades - lower Columbia Basin of Oregon - east slopes of the Southern Washington Cascades - lower Columbia Basin of Washington - Eastern Washington Southern Columbia Basin
Strongest winds and lowest humidity will be in the afternoon and early evening with west winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 35 mph.
According to the NWS, any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.
A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur.
You can get more details on the weather forecast here