Hot and hazy with small chances for thunderstorms on Wednesday

NWS Pendleton has issued a Red Flag Warning for the Blue Mountains in Morrow, Umatilla, and Walla Walla counties. This runs today from 12 PM to 11 PM.

The Oregon DEQ has issued an Air Quality Advisory in Morrow and Umatilla counties until further notice.

Today : Our heat will turn back up just a bit on Wednesday. Highs will be about 5 degrees above average. It’ll be in the mid-60s in the Cascades, with low-80s for the Blues. The Kittitas Valley will be in the upper-80s, with mid-90s for the Yakima Valley and the foothills of the Blues. The Lower Columbia Basin will likely reach into the upper-90s. Expect sunny skies today with more haze. Winds will be back up, gusting out of the northwest (Kittitas/Yakima valleys) to southwest (Lower Columbia Basin and Blue Foothills) between 20-40 MPH. The fastest wind gusts will be in the Kittitas Valley. As we head into the afternoon hours, there’s a small chance for thunderstorms forming along the Blue Mountains. Fire fuel energy, in the Blues, will be in the 99th percentile compared to historical values. In essence, we’re concerned about the lightning potential over dry fuels–and ensuing fire starts.

Tonight : A few thunderstorms could linger in the Blues into the late evening, maybe even trickling down into the foothills. Winds will continue their northwest to southwest trajectory, gusting between 20-40 MPH. This’ll continue to spread around light haze overall, although air quality will be locally worse downwind of active fires. Overnight lows will be seasonal. It’ll be in the mid-40s to low-50s in the mountains, with low to mid-50s for the Kittitas/Yakima valleys and the Lower Columbia Basin. Some parts of the Blue Foothills will struggle to dip below 60-degrees.

Extended : Our high temperatures will dip down for Thursday and Friday. In fact, it’ll be the coolest weather we’ve had in quite some time. Highs will turn to values about 5-10 degrees below average (mid to upper-90s in the Tri-Cities). By Saturday and beyond, highs will return back to values pretty close to average (low to mid-90s in the Tri-Cities). Starting on Monday of next week, we’ll watch for more potential bouts of thunderstorms. These chances look a bit more significant to those of this past Tuesday, so we’re bracing for the potential of more fire starts.

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