Hotter today with lightning chances looming for Wednesday

NWS Pendleton has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the Kittitas and Yakima valleys from 12 PM today through 10 PM Thursday. They’ve also issued a Heat Advisory for the Lower Columbia Basin, and the Blue Foothills, from 12 PM today through 10 PM Thursday.

The Oregon DEQ has issued an Air Quality Alert for southern Morrow and southern/eastern Umatilla counties due to smoke from the Lone Rock Fire.

Today : It’ll be another hot one out there! Highs will be about 10-degrees above average. It’ll be in the mid-80s in the mountains, with low to mid-100s elsewhere. Winds should be light, and skies will be hazy to the east and south of the Yakima Valley. Of course, the worst air quality will continue to be in our Oregon counties. There’s also the chance that more fire could pop up today. Today’s another First Alert EXTREME Impact Fire Day. Fire fuel energy will be in the 99th percentile (compared to historical values)--very dangerous stuff!

Tonight : Haze will become a bit more widespread later this evening. Winds will stay light, and overnight lows will turn a bit milder. It’ll be in the mid to upper-60s for most spots, although parts of the Blue Foothills could be stuck in the low-70s.

Extended: Our weather turns even more interesting with lightning in the forecast for Wednesday. The best chance for thunderstorms will be in the morning and into the early afternoon. The mountains will likely see the best chances of lightning. Fuels will still be very dry at this point, so there’s a real concern or fire starts. In fact, we’ll have another set of First Alert EXTREME Impact Fire Days for Wednesday through Monday. Wednesday is obviously the most threatening day in the short term due to the lightning potential. However, fuels get even more stressed by Saturday and Sunday due to rising temperatures–again! By Sunday, we could once again be about 15-degrees above average (near 110 degrees in the Tri-Cities). Small thunderstorms chances could slide back into the picture by Sunday and Monday as well. If that pans out, it could be a recipe for disaster in terms of ingredients for fire starts.

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