... Red flag warning remains in effect from 11 PM this evening to
1 PM PDT Monday for abundant lightning and dry fuels except
for Spokane and Lincoln counties...
A red flag warning remains in effect from 11 PM this evening to
1 PM PDT Monday.
Starting late this evening and continuing into Monday... there
will be a significant lightning event over the mountain districts
north of the Columbia Basin... the Okanogan and Methow valleys.
A cold front is forecast to move into the region tonight which
will focus thunderstorms and potentially abundant lightning in
these areas with little potential for widespread wetting rain
initially. Thunderstorms will end in the Cascades and Okanogan
Valley Monday as the cold front moves through with increasing
winds into Monday afternoon and evening. Thunderstorms will
linger over the northeastern districts through a good portion of
Monday ... but will begin to produce wetting rain from their cores
as the day wears on. Most of the thunderstorms that form are
expected to move very quickly to the north at about 40 miles per
hour or greater.
Since most of the abundant lightning is expected to be north of
Spokane and Lincoln counties they have been purposefully removed
from this red flag warning... however it needs to be noted that
transformer/power pole fire activity may increase overnight and
into tomorrow as wetting rains after prolonged dry period seem to
allow for their occurrence.
A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now... or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds... low relative humidity... and warm temperatures will
create explosive fire growth potential.