Smoky pattern persists, rain from Hilary is a concern

The fire weather issues are once again taking center stage as the winds pick up and the ground is dry. Any ignition may cause rapid wildfire activity in the area. A Red Flag Warning is in place for the area due to the variety of weather and fire related issues mentioned above. 

Smoke from the Bedrock and Lookout fires continue to stream into Central Oregon, but smoke from fires in Northern California are also expected to drift north.  We may see some dense smoke as far north as northern Lake and Klamath counties this weekend from the California fires, and southern Deschutes is close enough for us to stay alert.  Fires to the west will contribute to the poor air quality most of the weekend. Air Quality Alerts are in place.

Heat is back to the 80s for the next several days, and possibly the 70s early next week because of the clouds and possible rain arriving from remnants of Hilary.

Hilary is a major hurricane in the Eastern Pacific and will move north before making landfall in NW Mexico near the Southern California border as a high-end tropical storm or Category One Hurricane. Our concerns in Oregon will be the moisture cast our way as Hilary pushes north into central and eastern California. We rarely get tropical moisture this far north, so the models will be working overtime to cypher the data. The bottom line is that the timing of the rain may be as early as late Sunday in Eastern Oregon.

The forecast is now calling for the rain to fall over the eastern third of the state, and may lead to significant flooding due to the hilly terrain in spots. Central Oregon will see some rain, but if the track holds, it may not be a major issue for our area. But, if the track shifts to the west, we will be in for some heavy rain at times. Not the likely scenario, but not impossible either. Timing is still up in the air, but Monday or Tuesday seem to be the popular solutions.

Stay safe, stay informed.

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