Red Flag Warning for Cascades, windy weather kicks off wildfire season
Jun 6, 2023, 8:04 AM | Updated: 9:34 am
A spotter keeps an eye on a wildfire near Omak, Washington in 2022 (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
(Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
A Red Flag Warning has been issued for the central and south Cascades Tuesday, with hot, dry, and windy conditions creating a hotbed for possible wildfires in the area. High fire danger with erratic fire behavior and rapid fire spread is possible.
The Red Flag Warning goes into effect at 10 a.m. Tuesday and lasts until 10 p.m.
Brush fires in Bellevue, Orondo see start of Washington wildfires
Issued by the National Weather Service (NWS), the warning means that the area is in critical fire condition that is either imminent or actively occurring.
“The reason that this is taking place early is — I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I certainly have: that my lawn is brown already, and I need to start watering my trees already because it hasn’t rained significantly in almost a month,” said Eastside Fire & Rescue acting Battalion Chief Mike Tjosvold to KIRO 7.
The weather will be warm for the next few days, ranging from the 70s to the low 80s, with breezes in the area. These wind gusts are part of the reason the Red Flag Warning was issued.
“Breezy north winds will continue on Tuesday alongside afternoon relative humidity values in the 20% to 30% range during the afternoon and into the evening hours,” the NWS said in their announcement. “These conditions will combine to produce a favorable environment for fire starts, and fire spreads.”
The warm, dry weather has continued into June with no significant rainfall in sight. Temperatures will climb back into the 80s for a few days in the middle of this week.
