The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather warning for Columbia county from 7:14 am to 11:00 pm today.
The full text of the warning is posted below.
For more information, visit http://inws.wrh.noaa.gov/weather/alertinfo/672493.
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URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
714 AM PDT TUE AUG 24 2010
...COMBINATION OF HOT...DRY...AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS...GUSTY
OFFSHORE WINDS...AND CRITICALLY DRY FUELS OVER INLAND AREAS OF
NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON TODAY...
.A THERMAL TROUGH EXTENDING NORTHWARD ALONG THE OREGON AND
WASHINGTON COAST THIS MORNING IS COMBINING WITH HIGH PRESSURE EAST
OF THE CASCADES TO GENERATE GUSTY OFFSHORE WINDS...ESPECIALLY OVER
THE HIGHER TERRAIN. AS THE DAY PROGRESSES...THESE WINDS WILL MIX
DOWN INTO THE INTERIOR VALLEYS...INCLUDING THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY
AND CLARK COUNTY LOWLANDS. AFTER A COOL MORNING IN SOME AREAS...
THE OFFSHORE FLOW WILL CAUSE TEMPERATURES TO RISE FAST INTO THE
90S...AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL FALL BELOW 20 PERCENT IN MANY
AREAS BY THIS AFTERNOON.
ORZ605-607-WAZ660-250215-
/O.NEW.KPQR.FW.W.0002.100824T1414Z-100825T0600Z/
ZONE 605-ZONE 607-ZONE 660-
714 AM PDT TUE AUG 24 2010
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR
UNSTABLE CONDITIONS...GUSTY WINDS...AND HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS
COMBINING WITH CRITICALLY DRY FUELS FOR FIRE ZONES 605...607 AND
660...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORTLAND HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING.
* AFFECTED AREA: IN OREGON.......FIRE ZONES 605 AND 607.
IN WASHINGTON...FIRE ZONE 660 .
* WIND: EAST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH...ESPECIALLY
NEAR THE COLUMBIA GORGE AND OVER RIDGETOPS.
* HUMIDITY: FALLING TO 12 TO 18 PERCENT BY THIS AFTERNOON.
SOME RIDGETOP LOCATIONS WERE ALREADY IN THE 20 TO 25 PERCENT
RANGE THIS MORNING.
* INSTABILITY: HAINES 6 OR NEAR-HAINES 6 CONDITIONS ARE DEVELOPING
THIS MORNING...BOTH AT THE MID AND HIGH LEVELS. THE HIGHLY
UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THIS EVENING DUE TO THE
PROXIMITY OF THE THERMAL TROUGH.
* TEMPERATURES: WILL QUICKLY RISE INTO THE UPPER 80S TO MID 90S BY
EARLY AFTERNOON.
* IMPACTS: THESE CONDITIONS WILL GENERATE A FAVORABLE BURNING
ENVIRONMENT WITH POTENTIAL FOR LARGE FIRE GROWTH AND EXTREME
FIRE BEHAVIOR.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.
&&
