Eye to the sky: Will Washington, Oregon have a fire season this year?

Last year in early June, Oregon had its first large wildfire of the season (Joseph Canyon Fire) in Wallowa County that required an incident management team. It’s not uncommon to have grass fires over Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon in June, but a large wildfire in the higher terrain where fuels are often green is rare. Fires in this area often show their ugly appearance in July.

Monsoon season typically kicks off in the desert southwest in early July, and moisture is often transported north that could contribute to thunderstorms with lightning-caused fires over Eastern Oregon and southeast Washington. Unfortunately, human-caused fires add to the wildfire statistics in July as well.

The Climate Prediction Center is expecting the continued hot and dry conditions in the Pacific Northwest through September. Fine fuels such as grass and shrubs respond quickly to changes in the humidity and precipitation. If you look around, you likely will observe that cheat grass and foxtails are thick and tall. Most have cured with very little fuel moisture. Grass fires have been the primary concern this month. As we continue to experience more hot and dry conditions, the larger fuels in the higher terrain will show signs of curing and will be monitored for large wildfire potential.

The Northwest Coordination Center Predictive Service in Portland works closely with other geographical area coordination centers across the nation to compile a fire season outlook. The outlook is provided around the first day of each month. From July through August, the Cascade Range and the southern half of Oregon have a greater than average potential for large wildfires.

Most of this area remains under a moderate to extreme drought. In September, the focus for large wildfires will be from the Cascades westward due to the likelihood of easterly downslope winds, and this area will remain under above average potential for large fires.

No matter what the season has in store, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Maintain your lawn and cut down tall weeds and grass. Don’t allow vehicles to idle along grassy areas. Campfires should never be left unattended and should be completely extinguished when no longer in use. Trailer chains should be properly secured around hitches and not left dangling to the ground.

The fire season in Washington and Oregon has been quiet so far; let’s do our part to keep it that way.