Extreme heat and worsening drought are setting the stage for an active stretch of wildfires, with AccuWeather expert meteorologists warning that smoke from fires in the Northwest could spread thousands of miles and impact air quality across the East Coast throughout August.
“Uncontrolled wildfires that are burning in an area where the jet stream winds are persistently strong will blow smoke downwind of the source region, usually to the east. The smoke can be thick enough to obscure the sun during the day and lead to cooler high temperatures. In this case, the air quality suffers,” said AccuWeather expert meteorologist Chad Merrill.
The jet stream and winds can direct smoke, but local weather can control how much smoke is experienced locally, Merrill added.
“Showers and thunderstorms act as a cleansing mechanism for the atmosphere,” Merrill said. “That is to say they can wash out the smoke that people experience and help improve air quality.”
AccuWeather Tracking the Wildfire Forecast into the Fall
- Currently, there are 84 large fires burning in the United States
- Drought and wildfire risks remain elevated across much of the Northwest through early fall, with the greatest threat centered on northern California, eastern Oregon, southern Idaho and Utah
- Prolonged dry conditions, above-average warmth and occasional dry thunderstorms will create favorable conditions for large, fast-moving wildfires.
Extreme Fire Risk in the Northwest This Weekend
There is an extreme wildfire risk for parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana caused by a strong area of low pressure interacting with extreme Southwestern heat, which can create strong winds and dry thunderstorms.
“This pattern will allow existing fires to spread rapidly while several new fires will likely ignite in the dry brush and timber,” said Merrill. “This will be an exceptionally busy time for fire crews and likely emergency managers as well. It will rank as the biggest fire outbreak so far this year in the Northwest and adjacent parts of British Columbia and Alberta.”
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