PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Hot, windy conditions continued to dry out areas of Oregon and Washington over the weekend, increasing the risk of hazardous wildfires as temperatures are predicted to soar into the 90s on Tuesday.
The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center stated in its daily fire weather summary that fire danger is expected to peak between Monday and Wednesday. Cooler temperatures are in the forecast for the end of the week, when a slight chance of rain and thunderstorms will be possible in the Cascades.
“The wet showers and thundershowers will push fire danger downward a bit for Southern and Southeastern Oregon,” the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center stated. “The combination of higher fire danger and gusty north winds will push some [western regions of Oregon and Washington] into the yellow or brown significant fire risk [categories] today. Live fuels should be fully green across the area with a moderate fire spread potential.”
Rain isn’t in the forecast for the Portland area, which hasn’t seen a drop of precipitation in 21 days.
The National Weather Service states that Portland’s humidity levels are currently low, but humidity could increase by Wednesday. While conditions remain uncomfortably dry, the NWS states that conditions currently remain just below the standard for issuing a fire watch or warning.
“These conditions combined with drier than normal fuels make for relatively easy fire starts in fine fuels,” the NWS said. “We are seeing a big improvement though starting Wednesday in the way of fire weather.”
While the late spring conditions aren’t quite dry enough to prompt an alert, Oregon state climatologist Larry O’Neill told KOIN 6 News that conditions are much drier than normal for this time of year.
“The soil and fuel moisture conditions are more typical of mid-July rather than early June, however, so it should be emphasized that conditions are drier than what many realize for this time of year,” O’Neill said. “With the current conditions, and the trend over the next couple of days, smaller brush fires will be a concern. The National Weather Service has not issued any fire weather advisories or warnings but they are monitoring conditions closely.”