Air Quality Alert, hot and dry holiday weekend
An Air Quality Alert has been issued until further notice for Deschutes County due to the smoke from the Emigrant Fire.
That fire is burning on the border between Douglas and Lane Counties and is a hot fire. The fuel is the dead trees and wood and ground litter and debris from the Tumblebug Fire in 2009. It is almost the exact location. The dead fuel burned fast and hot and generated a lot of smoke. The footprint is nearly identical to that old fire.
Weather is looking hot for the holiday weekend as an area of low pressure off the coast is in just the right spot to bring in the heat. That, coupled with an area of high pressure over over the Four Corners state, is funneling in the above normal conditions.
Today will be hot and dry with highs in the low 90s. Smoky skies may inhibit the heating process, but we still should hit the 90s by around 2 or 3 pm. Some clouds may arrive from time to time, but generally a sunny day is expected. Today will be the third day at or above 90 degrees, so that is an official heat wave.
Sunday will be more of the same, as the mercury in the thermometer gets to the low 90s again. Sunny and dry with a bit of a breeze. Sunday is the last day of August, and the end of the meteorological summer. The meteorological summer is defined by the three hottest months of the year. The meteorological winter is the three coldest months. The spring and fall are the seasons in-between.
Labor Day will be hot and may still be a little smoky. The warmer than normal pattern (actually hot) is likely to continue into the new month. Early September temperatures are normally in the upper 70s and low 80s, so these 90 degree days are far from the average highs.
Tuesday though Thursday look to continue the hot pattern, and a few isolated storms are possible Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. Very low chance, but not zero.
Also, Stay safe.
Don’t forget to download the KTVZ weather app to stay safe and informed.
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