Well above normal temperatures remain, spotty showers Tuesday

The heat will continue to plague the area as the mercury in the thermometer will reach the upper 90s to low 100s once again this week.  The relentless heat wave has been present for almost two weeks and shows no signs of relenting.  Please maintain the safety standards that have been discussed over the past several days, stay hydrated, stay in the shade, seek cooling shelters often and never leave kids or pets in vehicles.

One of the by-products of the heat has been the wildfires. There are several wildfires burning in Oregon and three are massive.  The Cow Valley fire is over 100k acres, the Falls Fire is over 60k acres and the Lone Rock is over 50k acres.  These are the larger fires; we still have to deal with smoke from the Larch Creek fire in Wasco County. 

The winds have been favorable to the area with respect to smoke dispersal. The generally west or at time northwest winds have pushed the smoke away from our area as opposed to over it, that is some saving grace.  That may change, but for now it appears we have been favored by the flow of wind.

Moving forward this week, we will possibly see some spotty showers Tuesday then it is more dry air the rest of the week.  The rain that is forecast for the area will not make it to the ground and I will do more harm than good.  The wind generated by rain evaporating before it gets to the surface may help to fan some of the wildfire flames in the area. 

Currently we are on pace for one of the hottest summers of all time, and the lack of rain has me a bit nervous about the rest of the summer with respect to wildfires.  Use an abundance of caution when camping or recreating in the region. We don’t need anymore wildfires to ignite, because if they do, there is a strong chance they will grow rapidly.

Stay Safe

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