NORTHWEST FIRES

POTD, Author Unk.

Thunder and lightning roared through the west side of the cascades, but for the most part did not cause much trouble for local fire crews.  Here’s today’s daily update, with a new section titled ‘Fire Related Media” featuring links to recent news articles.

Here is today’s Daily Update:

INITIAL ATTACK
Total New fires: 33
Oregon: 6 fires for 1,809 acres
Washington: 27 fires for 109 acres

NEW LARGE FIRES

Cougar Cr. (OR)
The fire is burning in the StrawberryWilderness. Size is estimated at 100 acres. Rappellers, smokejumpers and a 20 person Type 2 crew are committed.

ONGOING INCIDENTS

Washington

Johnson Lake Complex
A Washington Type 2 incident management team has been committed (Reed). Size is estimated at 955 acres and 50% contained. There are three incidents included in the complex. All fires in the complex are being mopped up. Excess equipment and personnel are being demobed.

Oregon

McGinnis Cr.
The fire is burning on state-protected lands near Kimberly, OR. Size is estimated at 2,817 acres in light fuels. A State of Oregon incident management team (Savage) has been assigned. Gusty winds were a control problem on Saturday.

WEATHER WATCHES AND WARNINGS:

Excessive heat watch in effect from Monday afternoon through Thursday afternoon…

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued an excessive heat watch… which is in effect from Monday afternoon through Thursday afternoon.

Very hot conditions are expected across western Washington this week with high temperatures in the 90s… especially across the interior. Nighttime temperatures will also be quite warm… in the upper 50s to mid 60s… bringing no relief from the heat. The air mass will feel muggy and uncomfortable with dew point temperatures also in the mid 50s to lower 60s. This heat wave may persist through Thursday with only a modest cool down on Friday with highs back into the 80s. It is rare for several hot days in a row for western Washington as is the case here. In addition… this weather pattern may also lead to deteriorating air quality across the region.

WEATHER SYNOPSIS
Upper closed low still sitting over eastern Washington today will finally exit eastward Monday morning. This will keep thunderstorms and showers across sectionos of eastern Washington and NE Oregon for another 24 hours. Then strong high pressure takes over for a hot and dry week ahead. Look for a thermal trough to establishish itself west of the Cascades for Monday through Wednesday likely moving east of the Cascades on Thursday.

Once again some uncertainty between weather models for later in the week but it does look like a “closed low” will move toward the S. Oregon coast sometime between Thursday and Saturday for another bout of lightning in SW Oregon, Oregon Cascades and eastern Oregon. Depending on the thrack of the “low” thunderstorms could reach Washington from this system. Too early for much certainty at this time.

LARGE FIRE POTENTIAL
(http://www.nwccweb.us/content/products/fwx/guidance/dl.pdf)

Large Fire IA in parts of eastern Washington and NE Oregon due to More today to scattered lightning but large fire probability lowering as most of the storms are fairly moist and being reflected in forecasted fuel moistures.

Next concern is the hot dry unstable air for most of the week. Expect to seek critical or near critical burning conditions west of the Cascades as surface thermal trough adds alot of low level instability. Thermal trough should moved to central parts of the region on Thursday increasing the burn environment there. Finally, increasing IA and large fire probabilities again toward the end of the week due to increased lightning threat.

FIRE RELATED MEDIA STORIES:

“Wild weather creates fire danger, flash flooding“
“Johnson Creek Fire nearly knocked out“
“Plane fighting wildfire crashes into Okanagan Lake“