Buehner: Fire season kicked into high gear by heat wave

At the risk of voicing the obvious, Washington wildfire season is here! The recent heat wave essentially kicked the season into high gear.

Western Washington cities set record temperature highs

The heat wave eclipsed or tied some daily high-temperature records. At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), record highs were set on July 7-9 as temperatures ramped up at 93, 95, and 98 degrees respectively. July 9 was the hottest day since the all-time record of 108 degrees was set during the late June 2021 heat dome event on June 28.

Olympia also set new record daily highs with 97, 99, and 100 degrees on those same dates. Bellingham established a new record on July 9 at 88 degrees, and Forks had new records on July 5 and July 6 at both 85 degrees and again on July 8 at 87 degrees.

The heat wave also produced much lower humidities, meaning fuels like grasses and shrubs dried out and were ready to burn.  In Western Washington, there have been recent examples of roadside fires likely the result of tossed burning materials, sparks from dragging tow chains or fireworks.

One example was on Tuesday this week along Marginal Way South near First Ave in Seattle. That fire spread quickly in the heat, reaching several semi-trucks and an RV and impacting three power poles with wires on the pavement. On Thursday along a neighborhood street between the Benson Highway and Talbot Rd in Renton, firefighters closed the road to extinguish a roadside fire.

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These are just a couple of examples of how tinder dry conditions are this early in the wildfire season.

Take precautions to avoid starting fires

It is important to keep all burning materials inside vehicles, tighten up tow chains to avoid sparking on the pavement, and avoid driving over dry grassy areas that all can spark fires.

The further drying created by the recent heat wave also expanded drought conditions across the state including about half of Western Washington. Conditions now range from abnormally dry to severe drought – the latter located in much of central Washington where the Pioneer fire near Lake Chelan currently burns.

Earlier this week, the Washington Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a burn ban on outdoor burning, including campfires, on all DNR lands across the state until the end of September. In addition, many counties and local jurisdictions have issued burn bans including outdoor burning. Check with your local fire authorities before conducting any outdoor burning. Use of barbeques is still permitted.

Conditions have cooled down in Western Washington from the recent heat wave, yet high temperatures are expected to remain above the mid and upper-70 averages. Low-level onshore flow from the Pacific Ocean resulted in nature’s air conditioning. Marine cloudiness has returned to the outer coastal areas and will likely make some inland penetration each night and morning well into next week. Temperatures along the coast will likely reach only into the 60s, while inland areas will rise into the upper 70s and 80s.

Looking at longer-range forecast charts, there is really no rain in sight. It is possible there will be no rain through the rest of this month. The last time the month of July was entirely dry was in 2021.

Looking at weather for the rest of July

July is usually the hottest month of the year, and the outlook for the rest of the month is for above-average temperatures. Heading into August and September, though, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center’s latest seasonal weather outlook points to equal chances of above, below, or near-average temperatures AND precipitation. That outlook may signal that the odds of another heat wave similar to what recently occurred are lower yet cannot be ruled out. The outlook also implies some rainfall may lie ahead that may offer some relief.

On the other side of the coin, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, maintains an above-average potential for wildfires for much of Western Washington, including all of the coast, the Olympics, the Puget Sound region, and much of the west slopes of the Cascades.

During the region’s usually driest and warmest time of the year, it remains important to be careful with any burning materials, avoid using fireworks, and abide by the burn bans in place. The region has suffered wildfire smoke and horrible air quality six out of the last seven summers. Together, we can break that trend.

Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. You can read more of Ted’s stories here and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter.