Dangerous heat & a First Alert High Impact Fire Day for Friday. Worsening conditions into next week.

NWS Pendleton has issued a Heat Advisory for the eastern slopes of the Cascades from 12 PM Friday - 10 PM Thursday. NWS Pendleton has also issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the Kittitas/Yakima valleys, Lower Columbia Basin, and foothills of the Blues. This also runs from 12 PM Friday - 10 PM Thursday.

NWS Pendleton has issued a Red Flag Warning for the Kittitas Valley for Friday from 2 PM - 9 PM.

Today : Friday will be a very impactful day due to multiple reasons. First of all–it’ll be hot! Highs will be about 10-degrees above average. We’ll be in the upper-70s in the mountains, with mid to upper-90s for the Kittitas Valley and Blue Foothills. The Lower Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley will likely be right around 100-degrees! Winds today will gust out of the northwest up to 30 MPH, but mainly just concentrated in the Kittitas Valley–thus the Red Flag Warning. However, we’re declaring a First Alert High Impact Fire Day for the entire region due to very dry fuels. Fire fuel energy (compared to historical values) will be in the 81st percentile in Kittitas/Yakima counties, the 75th percentile in the Lower Columbia Basin, in the the 78th percentile in the Blues. Please avoid using fireworks today if you’re not a certified professional!

Tonight : Skies will stay clear tonight, and overnight lows will take a turn for the mild. It’ll be in the mid to upper-50s in the mountains, with low to mid-60s for Kittitas/Yakima valleys, Lower Columbia Basin, and foothills of the Blues. Wind gusts will migrate down to the Yakima Valley, in addition to the Kittitas Valley. North-northwesterly gusts will likely be between 20-25 MPH.

Extended : From Saturday through Tuesday, we’ll incrementally heat-up with each ensuing day. The heat will likely peak for Tuesday and Wednesday. By then, highs could be about 15-20 degrees above average (near 110 degrees in Tri-Cities). This’ll be a dangerous heatwave, so please limit outdoor exposure!

The heat, alone, will be dangerous enough. When you factor in the fire danger, the situation becomes a bit more dire. We’re going with another First Alert High Impact Fire Day for Saturday and Sunday for the entire viewing area. However, the extreme heat will stress fuels out even more for Monday through Thursday. For Monday and Tuesday, we’re declaring a First Alert EXTREME Impact Fire Day for Kittitas/Yakima counties and the Blues By Wednesday and Thursday, the EXTREME area will move into the Lower Columbia Basin. Fire fuel energy (compared to historical values) could reach up into the 99th percentile, at least. Essentially, our environment will be a powder keg for large fire-starts next week. Please exercise extreme fire vigilance!

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