National Weather Service issues red flag warning for W. Washington over fire danger

A red flag warning — an alert that weather conditions could quickly produce fires — has been issued for Western Washington, the National Weather Service announced Tuesday afternoon.

The warning takes effect through 11 p.m. Wednesday. The warning was issued because of the chance of dry thunderstorms and gusty outflow winds.

The affected areas include the Olympic mountain range and the central slopes of the Cascade mountain range above 1,500 feet, according to NWS.

Possible impacts:

▪ Scattered lightning hitting dry fuels can cause multiple fire starts, NWS officials said. Thunderstorms also can bring sudden sharp wind shifts to existing fires, causing rapid changes in a fire’s rate and direction of spread.

▪ Thunderstorm outflow winds can be a threat for several hours following a new lightning-caused fire. If a fire were to begin, air quality may diminish in the surrounding area.

▪ Any fires that develop will likely spread quickly. While the NWS said outdoor burning is not recommended, Thurston County already has banned outdoor burning on all county-regulated lands due to fire danger. Washington’s Department of Natural Resources also issued a burn ban last week on all the forest land it controls across the state.