Six large wildfires remain active in Washington as forecasters warn that hot, dry weather will elevate fire danger across much of the state, though cooler temperatures and a chance of showers are expected to bring some relief later in the week.
According to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, Washington is home to six of the nine “large” fires currently burning across the Pacific Northwest. The fires range from several hundred acres to more than 24,000 acres, all located east of the Cascades. “Large” wildland fires are defined as those having 100 acres in timber fuel or 300 acres in grass fuel.
The largest active Washington fires include:
- 4170 Tule Road Fire near Toppenish: 24,090 acres, 95% contained.
- Juniper Dunes Fire near Pasco: 13,003 acres, 90% contained.
- Kartar Fire southeast of Omak: 11,679 acres, 15% contained.
- Tucannon Mutual Aid Fire north of Dayton: 8,031 acres, 50% contained.
- Roza Fire north of Selah: 3,536 acres, 95% contained.
- Upriver Fire east of Spokane: 213 acres, 75% contained.
Fire officials expect conditions to become increasingly favorable for fire growth through midweek as temperatures climb and humidity levels fall. The National Weather Service in Seattle said hot and dry weather will return in earnest across western Washington, with relative humidity dropping into the 20% range or lower in some interior valleys through Tuesday. Forecasters noted that grasses are curing rapidly and have already contributed to several roadside brush fires in recent days.
Despite the heat, fire experts emphasized that western Washington is not facing the same level of concern as areas east of the Cascades.Officials continue to classify significant fire potential across western Washington as “low to moderate.” The Northwest Coordination Center reported that larger fuels, including vegetation that can take roughly 100 hours to dry out, are reaching unusually and even potentially record-setting levels of dryness for this point in the season. That means more vegetation is becoming available to burn if a fire starts.
Relief may be on the horizon. Forecasters expect a weather pattern change beginning Wednesday as a low-pressure system drops south from the Gulf of Alaska. The shift is expected to bring cooler temperatures, stronger onshore flow and increasing chances of showers beginning Thursday night continuing into next weekend.
KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle
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