Warm and dry weekend, poor air quality expected

The region will be in the middle 80s both Saturday and Sunday as the region gets a break from the 90s for a while.  The winds are likely to arrive from the east then north east on Saturday as a weak wave of energy moves south through SE Oregon. This will result in the potential for much more smoke to arrive in Central Oregon. The good news is that the winds will not be very robust, and may not last into next week.

The air quality is likely to be in the unhealthy range once again as the winds shift to a more northeasterly direction, meaning winds arrive from the northwest. Several large fires in Crook County and a Lone Rock Megafire in Wheeler County as well as the Battle Mountain Complex are likely to be contributing heavy smoke to the atmosphere.

Computer smoke models look to keep most of the smoke east our Tri-Counties with the exception of eastern Crook County. The weak wave will not ramp up the winds aggressively, which should allow the smoke to linger and settle near its origin. Not good news for Eastern Oregon.

We are happy that the temps are back to normal or a bit below, but it is still only July and we have a hot month of August ahead. The medium range models are suggesting middle to upper 90s by next weekend.

Stay inside as much as possible, the smoke will impact the area significantly.


Keep an eye on the alert banner at the top of the page for any updates to the Air Quality issues and fire danger.

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