Weekend Fire Weather Watch and Heat Warning

The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Warning and Fire Weather Watch for Central and Eastern WA, with temperatures over 100 degrees expected in the Tri-Cities and other nearby areas.  The hottest temperatures will be on Sunday in the Columbia Basin, while winds become gusty.  A dry cold front will sweep through on Monday delivering strong winds with the potential to spread any new fires.  We will need to take extra care to recreate responsibly this weekend by observing fire bans, and fully extinguishing recreational fires where they are allowed. Stay hydrated and prepare for high temps! 

There aren't any large fires in Washington right now but there are some small recent fires near the southern border of our state.  The Knight Road fire in Klickitat County has subsided and the Gordon Butte Fire along Fulton Ridge in Oregon should be manageable.

We have seen occasional moderate air quality from Canadian wildfires skirting across the northeast border of our state, and this will likely continue into the future.  However, we are getting really good wind directions to avoid Canadian smoke and this should continue for the near-term.  We expect Good air quality in Washington through the weekend, except for some moderate local impacts from any new fires that occur.  The fires in Canada are getting really bad though, so it will be an issue for us in the weeks to come.  

GOES Image of Canadian Wildfire Smoke - July 14 @ 8 a.m. PDT