Forecasters warned Thursday that strong, gusting winds and low humidity will cause extreme fire danger across western Oregon and southwest Washington this weekend as authorities pleaded with residents to be aware of the dangers following an unseasonably hot and dry summer.
Starting Friday, a dry east wind with gusts of up to 50 mph will be accompanied by low humidity, setting up a situation ripe for fire danger, the National Weather Service said. At least two power utilities issued potential shutoff notices to more than 40,000 customers in total to the south and west of Portland, Oregon, because of the forecast to prevent fire starts from snagging or broken power lines.
Strong winds that hit over Labor Day weekend in 2020 fueled Oregon wildfires that burned more than 1 million acres, destroyed 4,000 homes and killed at least 11 people across the western part of the state. This weekend’s winds were not expected to approach the speed and intensity of those in 2020, but forecasters said there was still a chance of “rapid fire spread.”
Fire weather watches and red flag warnings have been forecast for much of western Oregon and Washington starting Friday. Fires already burning in southwest Oregon could expand rapidly because of the forecast.
Gov. Kate Brown was expected to address preparations for the dangerous fire conditions later Thursday.
Pacific Power has notified about 12,000 customers in five counties south and west of Portland, Oregon — Linn, Douglas, Lincoln Marion and Polk — of a potential public safety power shutoff from early Friday through Saturday. The utility’s advanced weather modeling indicates a potential for dangerous fire weather conditions, Pacific Power’s meteorology manager Steve Vanderburg said.
Portland General Electric officials will also likely shut off power in 10 areas because of the risk of fire, impacting about 30,000 customers, according to a news release. The utility will closely monitor conditions and the forecast and will give four hours of notice before turning off power, it said.
Officials with the Department of Natural Resources in Washington state said Wednesday that an east wind event is also expected over the weekend that, paired with already-critical fire weather conditions, could result in severe wildfire activity.
“West of the Cascades, this will likely be the highest fire danger of the season as hot, dry winds leave normally damp fuels such as grass & moss ready to burn and primed for rapid spread,” state DNR officials said on Twitter.
A number of blazes were already burning in Oregon. The largest is the Double Creek Fire burning in a remote northeastern Oregon along the Idaho border. The Rum Creek Fire in southwest Oregon also threatened homes earlier in the week, but evacuation notices were reduced or eliminated Thursday as firefighters had contained almost half the 33-square-mile blaze.
Fire meteorologists say Oregon firefighters will face challenges this week as continued heat combines with windy and unstable conditions, possible thunderstorms and unwanted east winds
The Oregon State Fire Marshal says two additional task forces have arrived in Northeast Oregon to fight the Double Creek Fire, bringing the total number of task forces there to six.
Tags: Fire Season, Wildfires, Weather