Western WA fire conditions intensify as heat and dry weather continue
SEATTLE – It hasn’t rained in Seattle in 22 days.
And even 22 days ago, it was only a measly 0.12 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
Most areas across Western Washington have received less than 25% of their average precipitation for the past month. Quillayute even had its driest May since 1966, when the weather service first began record-keeping.
As we head into the end of the spring season, Seattle is “about 6 inches below normal for precipitation,” said Trent Davis, a meteorologist with the weather service in Seattle.
In those last 22 days since it rained in Seattle, the weather has been warm, then warmer, dry and more recently windy – all conditions that create a perfect storm for fire weather.
On Tuesday, continued breezy north to northeasterly winds will dust up gusts up to 20 mph, especially in the south Puget Sound area into Thurston and Lewis counties. It’s “a pretty dry wind pattern for us not coming off the ocean,” Davis said.
With little moisture on the ground, humidity levels are plummeting. They were mostly below 30% on Tuesday across Western Washington, and some areas may even get below 20%, Davis said, noting that would be “very unusual” for the Seattle area. These numbers bring heightened risk for fires to start and spread, Davis said.
While winds continue to blow across the region and humidity plummets, high pressure will cause temperatures to bounce up through Wednesday, topping out in the mid- to upper 80s for much of the Puget Sound area by Wednesday evening.
Unseasonably warm temperatures, low humidity, lack of precipitation and gusty winds mean fire conditions will persist across much of Western Washington into Thursday.
The weather service issued an early season red-flag warning for hot, dry and unstable conditions for the west slopes of the Cascades.
A red-flag warning means critical fire conditions are either imminent or occurring, according to the weather service. Any fires that develop will likely spread quickly, and outdoor burning is not recommended.
King County’s fire marshal on Thursday issued a Stage 1 burn ban, barring yard debris and residential fires.
There was also a special weather statement for elevated fire weather conditions Tuesday for the Puget Sound lowland area, including Tacoma and Seattle.
As these conditions persist, the weather service urges people to properly discard cigarettes, keep vehicles off dry grass, avoid activities with open flames, avoid power equipment that creates sparks, obey burn bans and evacuate if fire or smoke is headed your way or officials tell you to do so.