National Fire News

Cascade Gap winds will increase today as an upper-level low deepens over British Columbia, boosting westerly flow throughout the northwestern United States. Westerly wind gusts of 25-35 mph will be common, while gusts through the Columbia River Gorge could locally exceed 40 mph. RH east of the Cascades will generally bottom out from 10-20%. These elevated fire weather conditions may affect far northern California into northwest Nevada, as well, where RH will locally drop to as low as 5% east of the Sierra Front. An upper low will continue to lift north through the Southwest, drawing monsoonal moisture into the Four Corners. RH will be higher than the last few days, generally no lower than 20-30%. Thunderstorms will increase from the eastern Basin into western Colorado and most of New Mexico as a result but will likely be on the wetter side as compared to previous days, and flash flooding concerns may increase for existing burn scars. Isolated dry thunderstorms will affect areas fringed by the deeper moisture, from northern Nevada and Utah into eastern Idaho and western Wyoming. These areas will otherwise hot, breezy and dry, and erratic outflow winds may gust as high as 40-50 mph. Some drier air will be pulled into southern parts of Arizona and California, but a few mixed wet/dry storms may pop up again over the Southern California mountains. Flash flooding will be likely along parts of the central Gulf Coast as the remnant tropical disturbance lingers. Showers and thunderstorms will continue near a stationary front draped from the Mid-Mississippi Valley to the Mid-Atlantic, with thunderstorms returning to the Upper Midwest ahead of the next front. The Northeast will be dry and pleasant, while hot, dry and breezy conditions continue over the Southern Plains.