No Heatwave Headed to NCW In Near Term, Wildfire Danger Lowered

A heat wave previously forecast for early August is not materializing in the Wenatchee area or the rest of Eastern Washington. 

National Weather Service Meteorologist Charlotte Dewey says a change in the weather pattern is leading to lower temperatures and a chance of rain. 

“We are seeing some moisture increase from the desert southwest monsoon pattern, and so that increase in moisture is going to bring us some cloud cover, which is going to dampen our high temperatures,” said Dewey. “That’s why we’re not going to see quite as hot temperatures moving into this weekend.”  

Temperatures will still be in the low 90s, which is slightly above normal for the region. 

Dewey says the threat of wildfires is also being lowered this weekend. 

“With this pattern, we’re looking to see quite a bit more moisture,” Dewey said. “So, the moisture is going to outweigh that thunder, lightning threat. So, it’s going to be a little bit more beneficial moisture for our wildfire season. Whereas, if it was just dry lightning with no moisture, that would be more of a concern.”  

In addition, there is a low likelihood of Red Flag Warnings anytime soon. 

Dewey says they look at daytime humidity levels when considering fire advisories or warnings. 

The daytime humidity levels for the next several days will be in the 20-30 percent range, higher than the upper teens needed to raise fire danger. Dewey says the winds heading into the weekend will not be strong enough to raise any concerns about wildfire threats.