by A series of thunderstorms forecast for later this week could increase the wildfire threat in Western Washington’s mountain regions, where dry conditions have persisted and much of the area remains in drought.
According to Dev McMillian, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, thunderstorms have a 15% to 20% chance of developing along the Cascade crest on Wednesday, with those odds rising to 20% to 30% by Thursday. While the storms are not expected to extend into the lowlands, the presence of lightning in already parched areas raises the risk of new wildfires.
“We’ve been dry for a while now. We’re actually under drought conditions across much, if not all, of Western Washington,” McMillian said. “Right now there’s still some uncertainty with how wet these storms are, but any lightning could bring a start to fires.”
So far this wildfire season, the Northwest has seen 45 large wildfires, each burning more than 100 acres of forest or 300 acres of grassland or brush, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. More than 2,200 smaller fires have also occurred, with lightning responsible for about 20% of the total. The causes of the remaining fires are either human-related or undetermined.
Currently, 11 large active fires are burning across the Pacific Northwest, covering a combined 126,000 acres. In Whatcom County, the East Creek Fire near Azurite Peak and north of Highway 20 has burned 14 acres since being reported on July 21. The U.S. Forest Service has urged people to stay away from the area as firefighters, including smokejumpers, respond.
The Bear Gulch Fire, located on the north end of Lake Cushman, has grown to more than 1,000 acres with only 10% containment. It is creeping toward Olympic National Park’s popular Staircase area and into the Skokomish Wilderness. The fire, reported on July 6, was human-caused.
Another fire, the Hamma Fire, was reported on Sunday and is currently burning approximately 50 acres. As of Monday morning, officials had not determined how much of the fire, if any, was contained.
For the Seattle area, the week ahead will bring fluctuating temperatures. Monday’s high is expected to reach 79 degrees, close to the seasonal average. Warmer temperatures in the low 80s are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday before a cooling trend brings highs down to the mid-70s by the weekend.
McMillian described the weather outlook as “a little bit of a roller coaster” as the region enters a potentially volatile stretch of heat, dryness, and lightning — a combination that poses real wildfire concerns for Western Washington.
