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.
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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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
