KENNEWICK, Wash. — Wildfire smoke from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and California will soon hit our area and drop air quality while we’re stuck in another “heat dome.”
A smoke forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratories predicts wildfire smoke from California will come north and mix in with smoke from British Columbia and north-central Washington before swirling in the Mid-Columbia Basin on Saturday with southeast Washington/northeast Oregon smoke:
We have good air quality for Thursday but unhealthy conditions are expected to arrive within the next few days.
The interactive smoke forecast map from the Washington State Department of Ecology shows ‘Good’ air quality for most of our area for Thursday, July 29, then a drop to ‘Moderate’ on Friday and Saturday. Come Sunday, August 1, air quality in the Yakima Valley is predicted to become ‘Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.’ That ‘USG’ air may hit Walla Walla on Monday, August 2, when flat-out ‘Unhealthy’ air is forecast to hit parts of the Tri-Cities and most of Franklin County:
On top of this, humidity is dropping and temperatures are climbing to well above normal for the next several days. Expect highs of 95-108 degrees Thursday through Saturday.
Storm chances will be nipping at our heels from the south; lightning could spark new fires Thursday evening and again Friday. Parts of eastern Oregon will be under a Red Flag Warning.
Storm chances continue through the weekend! A Fire Weather Watch is in effect starting Saturday for central OR through the eastern mountains. Thunderstorm activity and abundant lightning could trigger new ignitions over the weekend. #wawx#orwxpic.twitter.com/0YlFpadOA6
🔥 Lick Creek Fire 20 miles southwest of Asotin is 80,392 acres and 90% contained
🔥 Elbow Creek Fire 17 miles northwest of Wallowa is 22,955 acres and 50% contained
🔥 Green Ridge Fire 30 miles east of Walla Walla is 8,240 acres and 15% contained
🔥 Cub Creek 2 Fire near Winthrop, Okanogan County is 52,832 acres and 18% contained
🔥 Cedar Creek Fire near Winthrop, Okanogan County is 36,922 acres and 10% contained
🔥 Delancy Fire in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is 223 acres
🔥 Chuweah Creek Fire on the Colville Reservation is 36,752 acres and 85% contained
🔥 Sherwood Fire in Wellpinit, Stevens County is 1,220 acres and 50% contained
🔥 Summit Trail Fire in Inchelium, Ferry County is 15,246 acres and 9% contained
🔥 Nelson Creek Fire in Chattaroy, Spokane County is 154 acres and 90% contained
🔥 Hazard Hill Fire 11 miles north of Spokane is 125 acres and 40% contained
🔥 Jack Fire in Oregon’s Umpqua National Forest is 22,491 acres and 61% contained
🔥 Bruler Fire eight miles south of Detroit Lake, OR is 195 acres and 53% contained
🔥 Bootleg Fire 28 miles northeast of Klamath Falls is 413,545 acres and 53% contained:
Payton Bruni/AFP/Getty Images
Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
HOGP
In this photo provided by the Bootleg Fire Incident Command, trees burn at the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, Sunday, July 25, 2021. Firefighters reported progress against the nation's largest wildfire, the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, containing 46% of the blaze that had consumed nearly 640 square miles (1,657 square kilometers). More than 2,200 firefighters battled the blaze, focusing Sunday on constructing containment lines at the north and eastern edges in dense timber. Crews could get a break from rain and higher humidity predicted for this week, said Marcus Kauffman, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry.
HOGP
In this photo provided by the Bootleg Fire Incident Command, trees burn at the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, Sunday, July 25, 2021. Firefighters reported progress against the nation's largest wildfire, the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, containing 46% of the blaze that had consumed nearly 640 square miles (1,657 square kilometers). More than 2,200 firefighters battled the blaze, focusing Sunday on constructing containment lines at the north and eastern edges in dense timber. Crews could get a break from rain and higher humidity predicted for this week, said Marcus Kauffman, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Firefighters from New Mexico walk toward the Northwest edge of the Bootleg Fire while working to build a containment line on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore.
Nathan Howard
Firefighters from New Mexico walk toward the Northwest edge of the Bootleg Fire while working to build a containment line on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore.
Firefighters from New Mexico walk past a herd of cattle while heading toward the Northwest edge of the Bootleg Fire on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore.
Nathan Howard
Firefighters from New Mexico walk past a herd of cattle while heading toward the Northwest edge of the Bootleg Fire on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore.
Firefighters from New Mexico walk toward the Northwest edge of the Bootleg Fire while working to build a containment line on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore.
Nathan Howard
Firefighters from New Mexico walk toward the Northwest edge of the Bootleg Fire while working to build a containment line on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore.
Sayyid Bey, left, and his son Nicolas Bey, 11, sift through the remains of their home Thurday, July22, 2021, after it was destroyed by the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Ore.
Nathan Howard
Sayyid Bey, left, and his son Nicolas Bey, 11, sift through the remains of their home Thurday, July22, 2021, after it was destroyed by the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Ore.
A dog named Zippy walks past a destroyed truck Thursday, July 22, 2021, belonging to her owner, Gauge Clark, whose home was destroyed in the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Ore.
Nathan Howard
A dog named Zippy walks past a destroyed truck Thursday, July 22, 2021, belonging to her owner, Gauge Clark, whose home was destroyed in the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Ore.
Ryan Berlin, a public information officer with the Bootleg Fire, examines a fire resistant cover used to protect a cabin near the Northwest edge of the fire on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore.
Nathan Howard
Ryan Berlin, a public information officer with the Bootleg Fire, examines a fire resistant cover used to protect a cabin near the Northwest edge of the fire on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore.
Marcus Kauffman, public information officer with the Bootleg Fire, walks through burn damage near the Northwest containment line on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore.
Nathan Howard
Marcus Kauffman, public information officer with the Bootleg Fire, walks through burn damage near the Northwest containment line on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore.
In this photo provided by the Bootleg Fire Incident Command, a bear cub clings to a tree after being spotted by a safety officer at the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, Sunday, July 18, 2021. As more fire personnel moved into the area, the cub scurried down the tree trunk and later left after being offered water. (Bryan Daniels/Bootleg Fire Incident Command via AP)
Bryan Daniels
In this photo provided by the Bootleg Fire Incident Command, a bear cub clings to a tree after being spotted by a safety officer at the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, Sunday, July 18, 2021. As more fire personnel moved into the area, the cub scurried down the tree trunk and later left after being offered water. (Bryan Daniels/Bootleg Fire Incident Command via AP)
Low winds are helping crews battling the nation’s largest wildfire in southern Oregon. The Bootleg Fire has grown to 624 square miles, but better weather conditions have allowed crews to improve fire lines.
Low winds are helping crews battling the nation’s largest wildfire in southern Oregon. The Bootleg Fire has grown to 624 square miles, but better weather conditions have allowed crews to improve fire lines.
