Thunderstorm Forecast Elevates Wildfire Danger In NCW

The National Weather Service office in Spokane has issued a Fire Weather Watch for portions of North Central Washington, the Columbia Basin, and the Central Cascade Mountains.

The Watch is being issued due to the possibility of isolated thunderstorms over the region late Wednesday into early Thursday.

Lightning associated with the storms combined with arid conditions will elevate the risk of wildfire starts throughout the region, with some storms expected to include light to moderate rainfall, while others will be dry.

The storms are expected to track in a northern or northeasterly direction and meteorologists say some of the storm activity could be strong and include gusty winds and small hail.

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Some of the populated places that are within the Watch zone and could be impacted during the weather events are Beverly; Bridgeport; Cashmere; Chelan; Coulee City; Coulee Dam; Desert Aire; East Wenatchee; Entiat; Ephrata; George; Grand Coulee; Leavenworth; Lind; Lucerne; Malaga; Mansfield; Manson; Mattawa; Moses Lake; Othello; Plain; Quincy; Rock Island; Royal City; Soap Lake; Stehekin; Vantage; Warden; and Waterville.

Currently, the Watch is scheduled to go into effect at 1 a.m. Thursday and expire at 10 a.m. the same day.

Officials say there is a good possibility that the Watch will become a Red Flag Warning if the predicted thunderstorm activity becomes present within the region.

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