Elevated Wildfire Threat in the Western U.S. for New Week

Forecasters are warning that shifting weather in the western U.S. will raise the threat of wildfires heading into the new week. Here is what you need to know about the elevated threat of fire danger.

Arrival of Gusty Storms Will Amplify Fire Risk in the West

The peak of wildfire season is inching closer across the West. While it has already been a busy season for fire activity, this risk will increase more in the coming days as the hot and dry weather builds across the region.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there have already been almost 30,000 confirmed wildfires in the U.S. this year. Nearly 3 million acres have been burned at the hands of these fires.

It has been relatively quiet over the western U.S. in recent days thanks to temperatures that have been hovering just below the historical average for the end of July. The cooler weather has helped to lower the threat of brush fires across the region. A dry weather pattern has also worked to limit the chances of lightning-induced fire activity.

A change is in the air for the coming week as multiple storms are forecast to push in from the Pacific. The limited moisture associated with this stormy pattern will translate to a higher chance of fires caused by lightning strikes paired with gusty winds.

Dry Thunderstorms Inherently Increase Chances of Fast-Spreading Wildfires

The lack of rain coming along for the ride will amplify the dry conditions and make it more likely that one lightning strike could produce a large fire. Not only will the dry conditions lead to parched vegetation, but the absence of rain will mean that the fires will be able to spread more quickly. The gusty winds present within the storm cells will fan the flames even further.

The stiff breezes coming in with the Pacific storms will also serve to spread the flames of the existing fires. The rugged terrain that dots the landscape of the western U.S. makes it more challenging for crews to bring these fires under control.

A bulging jet stream over the interior portions of the West, the Rockies, and the Plains will send the mercury soaring. The heat will be more pronounced in areas that avoid the train of storms. Higher temperatures inherently increase the chances of wildfire spread.

The danger will be the greatest in the interior portions of the region. All but the panhandle region of Idaho, southeastern Oregon, northern Utah, the northern fringe of Utah, and portions of western Wyoming are in the bullseye for fire development beginning Monday and lingering through at least Thursday.

Meteorologists are offering a little hope that a surge of moisture from the Gulf could put a lid on wildfire development in some parts of the West. How far this moisture travels will influence the impacts of the clouds and higher humidity levels. Either of these factors could drive the risk of dry thunderstorms down and increase the chances of mitigating rainfall. However, a pattern that favors more rain will also raise the threat of flash flooding across the rugged terrain.

Be sure to stay alert to this danger if you live in the potential zone of impact. Enabling all smartphone weather alerts and staying on top of the local forecast are both good strategies to stay prepared.

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