*** Excessive Heat Watch ***

Issued: 3:42 AM Jun. 23, 2021 – National Weather Service…

EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING…

* WHAT…Dangerously hot conditions Friday through at least Tuesday. Triple digit heat will develop in central Washington Friday and spread into eastern Washington over the weekend.

* WHERE…Portions of North and North Central Idaho. Portions of Central, East Central, North Central, Northeast, and Southeast Washington.

* WHEN…From Friday afternoon through Tuesday evening.

* IMPACTS…Several days of triple digit heat and unusually warmovernight temperatures will make it difficult to control the buildup of heat in homes without air conditioning.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…This will likely be an historic heat wave.Chances are good that many long standing records will be broken during this upcoming heat wave.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates on this situation. Be prepared to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

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Note: This is weather we are not acclimated to. Avoid prolonged exposure.

DO NOT, under any circumstances, leave children and pets inside vehicles unattended.

Know the signs of heat sickness. Drink water. Stay out of the heat.

Check up on relatives, especially the aged.

Unseasonable dry fuels, warm temps increase fire danger

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in cooperation with partner agencies, is adding new burn restrictions on DNR-protected lands in eastern Washington. The new restrictions are a response to increasing fire danger and an increase in fires caused by people burning debris outdoors.

Warming temperatures have dried grasses, and grassy areas are more receptive to even a single spark, which can cause a wildfire. In the Northeast region, 171 wildfires have been started in 2021, including 117 since April 1. Most have been caused by people burning debris outdoors.

The following additional restrictions will be implemented in parts of the Northeast Region, effective Thursday, April 22, 2021:

·         Campfires are NOT allowed except in approved designated campgrounds in the following Fire Danger Rating Areas:  Foothills, Highlands and Upper Basin in Spokane, and portions of Lincoln County north of Hwy. 2.

·         Permit burning (written burn permits issued by DNR) is NOT allowed in the following Fire Danger Rating Areas:  Foothills, and Upper Basin in Spokane, and portions of Lincoln County north of Hwy.

·         Rule burns are still NOT allowed in the following Fire Danger Rating Areas:  Foothills, Highlands and Upper Basin in Spokane, and portions of Lincoln County north of Hwy. 2.

Effective Thursday, April 22, 2021

·         Fire Danger will increase from low to moderate in the following Fire Danger Rating Areas: Foothills, Highlands, Lower Basin and Upper Basin.

·         Fire Danger will remain low in the following Fire Danger Rating Areas: Chelan, Kaniksu, Lower Yakima, Methow, Upper Yakima and Valley.

Check to find your Fire Danger Rating Area at https://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/protection/firedanger/

These changes are expected to be temporary until “green up” begins, which should start after spring rains allow new grasses to grow.

The best way to be certain a burn pile fully extinguished is to dig into the ash and feel the area with the back of your hand to make sure there is no heat left. It is common for rain to create a cap over the ash, with heat remaining inside. Winds can weaken the cap and allow the pile to reignite. Campfires should be doused with water and stirred until all coals are completely extinguished and is cool to the touch.

A misdemeanor citation will be issued to those who do not comply with a DNR burn restriction. A misdemeanor citation will also be issued for people who do not follow the rules and conditions of their burn permits. If proven negligent, the offender will be billed for the fire suppression costs.

Daily updates on burn restrictions and Industrial Fire Precaution Levels are available at 1-800-323-BURN or on the Fire Danger and Outdoor Burning risk map at https://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/protection/firedanger/ and Industrial Fire Precaution Levels map https://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/protection/ifpl/. 

There is a temporary Burn Ban in effect for most of Stevens County. All Rule burns are prohibited until further notice.

If there is a question, visit dnr.wa.gov, go to the search window and type in burn restrictions. Click on burn restrictions and a map will show up. In that search window you can type in the address in question and once that pulls up, click anywhere in the area and the current restrictions will show.

Prescribed Burning Operations may be conducted in this area during following dates:

OCTOBER 1-31, 2020

A TEMPORARY CLOSURE of the area will be posted and in effect when burning occurs. 

Public safety is our priority.

Questions, Please Contact:

Spokane District Bureau of Land Management

Border Field Office

1103 North Fancher Road

Spokane Valley, WA 99212

509-981-1273

…RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY FOR
WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND THE OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS…

The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a Red Flag
Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect
from 11 AM to 8 PM PDT Monday. The Fire Weather Watch is no
longer in effect.

• Affected Area: Fire Weather Zone 686 Northeast Washington and
  Fire Weather Zone 687 Okanogan Highlands.
• Winds: Northeast 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. Local
  winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph around Deer Park and
  the Spokane Reservation.
• Relative Humidities: 14 to 30 percent.
• Impacts: Rapid fire spread of any new or ongoing fires will be
  possible. Heed burn ban restrictions. Outdoor burning is not
  recommended.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now….or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds…low relative humidity…and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.

Issued: 9:14 PM Sep. 4, 2020 – National Weather Service

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR NORTHEAST WASHINGTON...

The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a Fire Weather Watch for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from Monday morning through Monday evening.

* Affected Area: Fire Weather Zone 686 East Washington Northeast (Zone 686) and Fire Weather Zone 687 East Washington Okanogan Highlands (Zone 687).

* Winds: Northeast 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* Relative Humidities: 20 to 30 percent.

* Impacts: Rapid fire spread of any new or ongoing fires will be possible. Heed burn ban restrictions. Outdoor burning not recommended.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible Red Flag Warnings.

Red Flag Warning for NE Washington area Saturday.

Report any sign of smoke or fire immediately. Better to call and be wrong than not call and have a fire get away.

A cold front moving through on Saturday will bring dry, windy conditions to the Inland Northwest Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. Gusts 35 to 45 mph will be possible. 

Impacts 

• New or existing fires will be able to spread rapidly during this period (Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning)
• Choppy lakes

Temperatures cool 7 to 10 degrees Sunday behind the front

Warmer and breezier weather may return to Columbia Basin Tuesday

Temporary Ban on Unlawful Shooting on DNR-managed Lands Statewide Begins Saturday at 12 a.m.

To help prevent wildfires, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is temporarily banning the discharge of firearms for target-shooting or other purposes by anyone not engaged in lawful hunting. This ban will apply to 3 million acres of DNR-managed lands. This includes state forests, community forests, and forested state lands. The temporary ban goes into effect at 12 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020.

“We are entering a period of hot, dry weather across our state, including the highest temperatures we’ve seen all year,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz. “As conditions get hotter and drier, wildfire risk increases significantly, and we must take reasonable steps to prevent human-caused fires. I know this is an inconvenience for recreational target shooters, but we must do all that we can to ensure that our firefighters do not have to put their lives on the line to fight a preventable fire. When conditions improve, it will be lifted. But for now, we must put the safety of our communities and firefighters first.”

Discharging firearms poses a greater risk in dry conditions as bullets pass through decayed wood, cause sparks off rocks, or break into fragments in dry grass. This year, DNR has already responded to a greater number of fires than the ten-year annual average.

This temporary rule does not restrict hunting.

A burn ban is currently in effect on DNR lands statewide, and fire danger on most of the east side is rated as “high” or “extremely high.” Residents should check burn bans in their areas.  

Commissioner Franz is encouraging private landowners to consider target shooting restrictions on their own lands. 

The ban on discharging firearms for target-shooting, or other non-lawful hunting with firearms, is in effect until further notice.

Anyone who spots a wildfire should call 911 as soon as possible to report it.

DNR Recreation and Leadership

Led by the Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, DNR manages nearly 1,300 miles of trails and 160-plus recreation sites in 3 million acres of working forest state trust lands and 92 natural areas. DNR trust lands keep forests development-free, provide clean water, and generate revenue for public services and school construction. To learn more about recreation on DNR-managed lands, visit dnr.wa.gov/go.

Commissioner Franz and DNR staff are also responsible for preventing and fighting wildfires on 13 million acres of private, state and tribal-owned land. DNR is the state’s largest wildfire fighting force.