EVERETT, JULY 23:
Weather Conditions
Cooler air from off the coast has invaded the North Sound and Western Washington, providing some relief from the heat. High temperatures this week will range from the mid-60s into the 70s, rather than the high temperatures we saw between the 80s and even the 90s earlier this month.
Yet, there is no rain in sight. Yes, a weak weather system generated some sprinkles on Sunday, July 21, but resulted in only trace amounts. The North Sound and much of the state remain in abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions.
The last meaningful rainfall at the Snohomish County Airport – Paine Field – was nearly a month ago on June 27 when a half inch of rain fell. The onshore flow from the Pacific Ocean will provide varying amounts of marine clouds each morning, yet no rainfall is anticipated to be squeezed out from these clouds.
The only possibility of any rainfall is expected during the latter part of the week when a weak weather system moving into British Columbia from the Gulf of Alaska could produce a few showers and possible thunderstorms in the north Cascades.
Otherwise, the dry weather is expected to continue through the end of this month. Historically, the calendar has moved into the driest time of the year – from the third week of July through the first week of August. Going back more than 130 years into the 1890s, those are the dates when it has rained the least number of times.
Even with the cooler more seasonable temperatures, the environment is quite dry, and wildfire conditions remain elevated. Last week, fire response crews had to douse several roadside fires. Fine fuels like grasses and shrubs are quite vulnerable to fire. Keep any burning materials within vehicles and avoid a large fine.
Current Fires
Unfortunately, several wildfires are burning in Oregon, Eastern Washington and British Columbia. Smoke from these fires began to move into Western Washington over the weekend creating a hazy look to the sky. On the other side of the coin, local air quality remains in the good category – at least for now. Everyone needs to do their part to retain that good air quality and avoid creating any local fires.
Earlier this month, the Washington Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a burn ban on outdoor burning including campfires on all DNR lands across the state until the end of September. In addition, North Sound counties and local jurisdictions have issued burn bans including outdoor burning. Check with your local fire authorities before conducting any outdoor burning. Use of barbeques is still permitted.
July is usually the hottest and driest month of the year. Heading into August and September though, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center’s latest seasonal weather outlook points to equal chances of above, below, or near-average temperatures AND precipitation. That outlook may signal the odds of another heat wave similar to what occurred early this month are lower- yet cannot be ruled out. The outlook also implies some rainfall may lie ahead that may offer some relief.
On the other side of the coin, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, maintains an above-average potential for wildfires for much of Western Washington including the North Sound, the Olympics, and much of the west slopes of the Cascades.
During the region’s usually driest and warmest time of the year, it remains important to be careful with any burning materials, avoid using fireworks, and abide by the burn bans in place.
In addition, now is the time to make your home and business more resistant to spreading wildfires. Create defensible space. Steps include trimming tree limbs to above your head, clearing gutters and roofs of any tree debris, moving firewood away from your building, and keeping the surroundings near your structure watered.
The DNR has a helpful resource entitled “12 Steps To Defend Your Home From Wildfire”. The one-page resource can be found here. If wildfire smoke does invade the North Sound, use N95 masks from the pandemic days to help ensure you do not breathe in those fine smoke particulates. Once those particulates are in your lungs, they do not leave. Also keep windows closed when it is smoky and takes steps to filter HVAC systems.
The region has suffered wildfire smoke and horrible air quality six out of the last seven summers. Together, we can break that trend.
