USDA: Wildfire Activity May Increase This Weekend

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey noted many portions of the Northwest could see new wildfires in the coming days, or even the possibility of some re-flaring of older fires, because of a cold front expected to move across the area Thursday and Friday.

“That is going to boost the winds and in the wake of that front we could see some lower humidity levels.  So, certainly I would be watching the Great Basin, parts of the interior Northwest, the northern intermountain region and the northern Rockies for the potential for some enhanced wildfire conditions over the next couple of days.  So we're certainly far from over with this western wildfire season.”

Rippey noted if there is a silver lining for the Northwest, the fact that fall starts in less than a month.

“As we move into the autumn months, we tend to get relief in the northwest as cold fronts start to dip down from the North Pacific it tends to bring moisture, higher humidity levels but then the focus tends to shift southward back into California,” Rippey said.

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