Smoke persists and critical fire weather looms

Map of active large fires in Washington and northern Oregon.

Fire Roundup

The Kaiser Canyon Fire on the Colville Reservation remains the state's largest active fire at 129,124 acres and 27% containment.

On the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest north of Conconully, the Sinlahekin Fire is the fastest-growing fire in the state and has burned 10,527 acres since it started Sunday afternoon and is 0% contained.

In the North Cascades, the Luna, Border 2, and Ptarmigan fires all remain active. The Ptarmigan Fire has been the most active, burning an estimated 18,000 acres and is 0% contained.

Further south and also on the Okanogan-Wenatchee, the Little Giant Fire is 25,480 acres and 0% contained.

Near the north end of Kachess Lake, the Three Queens Fire has burned 88 acres and remains 0% contained, however, minimal fire activity has been observed the last few days.

Jumping over to northeast Washington, the Modrite Fire is burning on the Colville Reservation just west of the Columbia River. The fire has been more active in recent days and has grown to the north. It is currently 19,475 acres and 63% contained.

Across the Columbia River and to the north, the Bradeen Hill Fire is at 4,167 acres and remains 0% contained.

In Grant County, the Railroad Fire near Beverly and Schwana is 100% contained after burning over 8,000 acres.

In southeast Washington, the Paradise Fire has shown minimal growth the past several days along the Washington-Oregon border in far southwest Columbia County. It's currently sitting at 765 acres and is 0% contained.

In Yakima County, the Ransier Fire near White Swan burned 1,302 acres and is 50% contained. All evacuations have been reduced to Level 1.

Finally, over to western Washington. In Lewis County, the Skyo Fire continues to burn west of Packwood. Fire growth has been slow but steady and it continues to produce smoke in the Cowlitz valley. Currently the fire is 202 acres and 25% contained.

Visible satellite imagery showing smoke blanketing the northwestern U.S.

Smoke Update & Outlook

Smoke has been persistent the past few days. Tuesday afternoon saw another round of more widespread breezy conditions. While this did lead to growth on existing incidents, it also brought improved air quality to locations not in the path of smoke plumes or near active fires. 

On Wednesday, some of the air quality improvements carried over into the afternoon. At the same time, any smoke that settled Tuesday night struggled to clear out with lighter winds unable scour out the smoke.

Downwind from active wildfires, conditions continue to deteriorate in the afternoon and evening. With persistent west/southwest winds, the same communities that have been impacted by Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy air the past several days will continue to see similar smoke impacts both today and Friday.

Overnight, smoke draining down valley remains a concern for areas like the Methow Valley, the Okanogan Valley, Conconully, Chelan, and Entiat. As the Little Giant Fire increases in size and pushes further southeast, increasing impacts from Plain to Leavenworth can be expected. Very Unhealthy readings will be possible in the early morning hours. On days with lighter winds, smoke will struggle to clear in the afternoon.

Smoke from fires in Oregon will continue to impact south-central and southeast Washington. Impacts will continue to be mostly in the Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range. One area to watch moving forward will be Klickitat County. The Grasshopper Fire, burning east of Mount Hood, continues to grow. Smoke overnight may eventually settle along the Columbia River.

Fire Weather Forecast

Thursday and Friday, winds will be similar to Wednesday. Some locally stronger gusts will develop in the Kittitas Valley and through the Columbia River Gorge in the late afternoon hours and early evening. Despite the lack of widespread stronger winds, fires will continue to burn actively and may produce significant smoke plumes.

On Saturday, critical fire weather is expected in central and eastern Washington as another dry cold front sweeps across the state. Low relative humidity and wind gusts out of the west between 30-50mph will fuel continued fire growth and lead to rapid spread of any new ignitions. With a more westerly component to the wind, communities east of the fires may see greater smoke impacts.

A Fire Weather Watch is in effect on Saturday. Image courtesy: NWS Spokane

Looking ahead, offshore flow may develop early next week. This will change how each fire behaves and may bring smoke back into western Washington. It's too early to tell specific impacts, stay tuned to the blog for more updates!