Gusty Winds and Dry Lightning Set Up a Dangerous Weekend for Wildfires

Residents of the western U.S. are being put on alert for the threat of wildfires as dry thunderstorms are forecast to fire up on Friday and into the weekend. Here is a closer look at what parts of the region will see the greatest threat and when.

Dry Thunderstorms Will Amplify New Wildfire Danger in the Pacific Northwest

Toasty temperatures will pair with a storm system containing limited moisture to raise the risk of dry thunderstorms and the resulting wildfires over the next few days out west. While the threat will stretch as far as Texas as the weekend progresses, the highest concentration of wildfire weather will be centered over Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.

You have to go back to July to find the last time that rain has fallen over Seattle. That is likely to change Friday night when storms move over the Emerald City, bringing a shot of overnight downpours. Unfortunately, the beneficial rain will also come with the threat of gusty conditions and frequent lightning strikes across the northwestern U.S.

The windiest conditions are forecast to whip around the eastern slopes of the Cascades, the Siskiyous, and down into the northern Sierra Nevada. The high winds combined with the lightning strikes within the storm cells are expected to create a fertile environment for new wildfires to ignite and spread. Lightning has been blamed for several of the most damaging fires over the last few months in Oregon.

The winds will also allow the smoldering embers to be lifted up and carried away from the original fire to start blazes in new areas. The erratic winds inherently make it more difficult for fire crews trying to bring the blazes under control.

Lastly, the winds are likely to send some of the smoke to the north into British Columbia, Canada. This part of the region is forecast to see the worst air quality levels this weekend as the smoke hovers near ground level.

Brutal Wildfire Season Continues

It has already been a devastating wildfire season for the U.S. As of Thursday, fires have scorched about 7.5 million acres, according to the latest data from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). For context, this is about 170% of the 10-year average by this date.

Although Oregon saw the bulk of the early-season activity, Washington state is now experiencing a sharp uptick in wildfires. Most recently, a massive fire near Spokane burned over 10,000 acres on its way to destroying hundreds of homes. Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate for days as the fire raged out of control.

The silver lining in the long-range forecast is that fire conditions are expected to ease this fall. A strengthening El Niño is forecast to amplify the number of storms coming in from the Pacific. The rain and mountain snow associated with this storm train will hopefully help to mitigate fire development. However, forecasters are warning that this relief is still weeks away.

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