Local Alert Weather Day Saturday, Air Quality Alert today, high heat into next week

BEND, Ore (KTVZ).  The Flat Fire is continuing to provide the region with smoky skies leading to an Air Quality Advisory for the Tri-Counties. Air quality is in the unhealthy range today as high pressure traps the smoke at the surface.  Winds are light so there is not much getting scoured out today as air quality indexes are in the “red.” 

There is also a Red Flag Warning for the northwest portion of Jefferson County today as the winds may pick up later today. That, along with the dry and hot cod

The other issue for this weekend will be the heat. High heat is expected until the middle of next week as the temps hit the upper 90s Saturday and the mid-90s Sunday.

The smoky skies may help keep the temps down a few degrees from what is being advertised by the computers, but it will still be hot conditions will lead to rapid fire growth. But that is not the only area where that is possible, be aware that the heat and dry weather is mostly every location today and over the weekend.

Our Local Alert Weather Day is for Saturday because that is the hottest day of this heat wave, but each day will be impacted by well above normal temperatures. Stay hydrated and follow the rules to avoid heat exaustion.

Regarding the Air Quality, the National Weather Service reminds us that pollutants and particulate matter in smoke can cause burning eyes, runny nose, and aggravate any heart and lung diseases, and other serious health problems.  Limit outdoor activities and keep children indoors if it is smoky. Please follow medical advice if you have a heart or lung condition.

The chance for some isolated storms next week is now looking more likely.  There is usually an event that breaks the heat wave, this will be more of a subtle change, but during the transition I expect to see some storms.

Improvement in air quality is expected overnight, but if the Flat Fire increases, that will provide us with more smoky conditions.

Stay safe.

Don’t forget to download the KTVZ weather app to stay safe and informed.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ktvz-local-alert-weather-app/id1088330817

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ktvz.android.weather&hl=en_US