Firefighters are on high alert as a chance of thunderstorms across Eastern Washington and Oregon is possible Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and continuing hotter than normal weather.
The National Weather Service forecasts a 20% chance of thunderstorms with no rain from 11 p.m. Tuesday through 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Tri-Cities.
Although the chances are low, any lightning strikes would come at a time when the fire danger is rated as “extreme” by the Benton County fire marshal.
Wildfires are expected to start easily and spread rapidly.
Every fire has the potential to become large and firefighters can expect extreme, erratic fire behavior, according to the fire danger notice from Fire Marshal Clark Posey.
The U.S. Drought Monitor rates Benton and Franklin County as being in “extreme drought.”
The recent excess heat and dry weather worsened drought conditions across the West, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s most recent report, issued June 29.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday upgraded its fire weather watch to a red flag fire warning for Eastern Washington and Oregon from 11 p.m. Tuesday until 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Relative humidity as low as 10% and some light breezes and possibly moderate wind gusts from the storm system could add to the fire danger.
Some relief from the heat is forecast for the Tri-Cities although high temperatures still are expected to remain above normal this week.
Temperatures, which were as high as 118 in the Tri-Cities last week, should drop below 100 for Wednesday through Thursday, according to the weather service.
The forecast calls for a high of 98 Wednesday, 95 Thursday and 97 Friday at the Pasco airport.
Saturday the high could be back in the low triple digits, with highs then dropping back to the 90s, according to the weather service.
The Weather Channel, which forecasts Tri-Cities weather out to two weeks, predicts highs to continue to be in the upper 90s or triple digits through at least July 20.
Normal average highs in July in Tri-Cities are about 90 and normal lows are about 59, according to weather service data.
