Red Flag Warning today, storms possible Friday

Bend, Ore (KTVZ) – The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for portions of the viewing area until 9 pm tonight. The dry air, dry fuel and breezy conditions are creating a scenario for rapid fire growth. If you are planning any outdoor activities, obey all fire restrictions and be careful with anything that may spark a fire, it will spread rapidly.

The high temperatures today across Central Oregon will be in the middle to upper 80s, breaking our streak of 90° weather, but continuing our streak of above normal temperatures.  Normal for mid-June is around 75. We will be bathed in sunshine again today, but that will change tomorrow.

Thursday brings a noticeable change to the weather pattern as clouds migrate north from California. The ridge of high pressure over the area will begin to break down and that will allow a low to form in Northern California. This will spin some high clouds into the region Thursday that will lower and thicken during the day. A stray shower is possible, but not likely that the rain will make it all the way to the surface, evaporating in the dry air below the cloud deck.

Friday will be an interesting day to forecast as the low mentioned above may generate some showers and a few isolated storms in Southern Deschutes and Crook Counties in the afternoon. The Storm Prediction Center has that area under the risk for “general” thunderstorms, not severe. The threat for some dry lightning is also a concern south of the Tri-Counties and there is a Fire Weather Watch issued for that reason on Friday.

The showers and storms will not dominate the area, in fact, Jefferson County may not see much more than partly to mostly cloudy skies.

Over the weekend the area will be cooler, still above normal in the low 80s, but not as hot as we have been. Summer officially begins on Sunday as the direct rays of the sun will be over the Tropic of Cancer. This is known as the Summer Solstice and is the day with the most amount of sunlight hours. For Bend, that is approximately 15.5 hours of daylight.

Our hot pattern is likely to return after the weekend.

Please, Stay safe.

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