Dangerous situation looms for the Northwest as intense winds could spread ongoing and new fires out of control
The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a particularly dangerous weekend of wildfire weather as strong winds and critically low humidity threaten explosive fire growth. Nearly two million acres have already burned this season, with rare fire weather warnings now in effect.
NORTHWEST – A historic wildfire season is already gripping the Pacific Northwest, where nearly two million acres have burned.
Now, conditions could deteriorate rapidly in the days ahead as powerful winds threaten explosive fire growth, prompting warnings of a "particularly dangerous" stretch of fire weather.
NORTHWEST WILDFIRE SEASON SURPASSES 1 MILLION ACRES BURNED AS MAJOR FIRES CONTINUE TO SPREAD
July has been an explosive month across the Pacific Northwest, with massive wildfires scorching the region. While the area continues to grapple with active fires, conditions are expected to become even more dangerous as a dry cold front ushers in powerful winds capable of driving rapid, explosive fire growth.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, more than 50 large wildfires, each exceeding 100 acres, are actively burning across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Together, they have scorched more than 1.9 million acres, with Oregon alone accounting for 30 of those fires.
LIGHTNING-SPARKED WILDFIRES SCORCH THE NORTHWEST
Thousands of firefighters and support personnel have been deployed to battle the blazes, placing a significant strain on the nation's wildfire suppression resources.
Across the U.S., 44,004 wildfires have ignited so far this year, scorching more than 4.8 million acres. Both totals run well above the 10-year-to-date averages of 34,340 fires and 3.63 million acres burned, marking the most active wildfire season at this point in the year since 2022.
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Across the Pacific Northwest and beyond, wildfire smoke is degrading air quality, with Air Quality Alerts in effect for parts of the region through Monday.
As long as the fires continue to burn, and especially if they grow, more smoke will be generated, allowing poor air quality to persist or worsen.
Rather than bringing much-needed rain, the dry cold front will usher in powerful winds and sharply lower relative humidity, creating an environment that opens the door for rapid wildfire growth.
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Fire Weather Watches have been issued all across the Northwest in advance of what could be dangerous fire days on Saturday and Sunday.
The most dangerous conditions are expected across the Columbia Basin and portions of central and eastern Washington into north-central Oregon, where dry downslope flow off the Cascades is forecast to drive relative humidity as low as 15% to 20% while sustained winds increase to 20 to 30 mph, with gusts exceeding 45 mph.
The volatile combination has prompted the Storm Prediction Center to issue its highest fire weather outlook: Extreme risk.
To emphasize the seriousness of the forecast, the National Weather Service has issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Fire Weather Warning, a rare alert reserved for the most extreme fire weather conditions, when rapid wildfire growth and spread are expected.
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According to the FOX Forecast Center, new fires will grow rapidly and get out of control. Residents in warned areas should be prepared to evacuate if a wildfire breaks out.
The fires already burning in the region are also vulnerable to spreading rapidly and growing out of control under these heightened conditions.
While Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are not tagged with extreme dangerous fire conditions, they will see 25 to 30 mph wind gusts and relative humidity percentages in the 20s and teens.
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Unfortunately, Sunday will be more of the same for the Northwest.
Dangerous fire conditions will again be present with the worst overlap of strong winds and dry air expected to be in central Montana, eastern Idaho and western Wyoming.
There are currently more than 40 large fires burning in the region, but by Monday, that number could be much higher.
The National Weather Service said people in the area should be ready to evacuate if wildfires break out.
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