Poor Air Quality ahead of very hot pattern

Bend, Ore (KTVZ) – The region is dealing with very poor air quality as the smoke from all the recent wildfires continues to hover over the region.  The light winds have not allowed the smoke to mix out effectively and the result is a smoky day. Those with respiratory issues, the elderly and young need to be aware of the dangers and stay inside as much as you can.

The work of the wildfires in the region is very impressive; most all of the recent fires have decent containment numbers and very few hot spots. The southern edge of the Rowe Creek Complex West Zone near Wildcat Mountain is still burning and some fire lines are being burned to keep the fire from crossing 26. Decent smoke is still coming out of that region.  The other issue with the smoke is that the fires are still smoldering, generating smoke that will not be effectively lifted high in the sky as it is not as hot. The result is the smoke stays closer to the surface. These fires will smoke for weeks, and I am not expecting much relief from the smoke any time soon.

An Air Quality Alert is in place until further notice for most of Oregon.

The other issue that we are going to experience this week will be the heat. A large ridge of high pressure has been developing in the desert southwest and is expanding now to include Oregon. The warm up today will be just the beginning.  Over the past three days the highs have been in the upper 70s and low 80s, that will change today. Highs are likely to hit the upper 80s, but there is a caveat to the forecast.  The smoke may be thick enough to inhibit the heating process and only allow us to reach the low to middle 80s.

The forecast, notwithstanding the smoke, has the mercury in the thermometer reaching the middle 90s on Wednesday then the upper 90s on Thursday. The 90-degree heat will last into Saturday as the ridge remains the dominant feature in the west.

Sunday will see highs in the upper 80s, not much relief, and that trend temperatures will linger into Monday and Tuesday.

Great work was done this weekend by our fire fighters to keep most of the fires well within their perimeters. Thank-you.

As for the rest of us, we need to stay aware of the heat and the dry pattern as new fire starts are always possible in these conditions.

 We have crossed into the 2-million-acre range as far as number of acres burned. The updated record from the NWCC from 2024 is 2,081,661 after a spring 2025 satellite assessment. Currently in Oregon we are at 2,017,895 acres and counting, unofficially.

Please, Stay safe and smart.

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