Dangerous heat for millions across the West, critical wildfire alerts in the Pacific Northwest
Washington state's governor issued a burn ban until the end of September.
Extreme heat is hitting millions in the West this weekend as two states brace for the potential for more dangerous wildfires.
Dangerous heat is impacting more than 50 million Americans across the West this weekend, with heat alerts posted from California to Montana.
Extreme Heat Warnings are in place for Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix and also farther north for cities like Salt Lake City and Billings, Montana.
In Phoenix, daily record highs will be challenged on Saturday and Sunday with a high temperature of 116 degrees on both days.
Critical to extremely critical fire weather conditions are threatening parts of the Northwest this weekend bringing the threat of dangerous, rapidly spreading wildfires.
The worst conditions will impact parts of eastern Washington and Oregon later Saturday.
Fire weather alerts have been posted across a large portion of the region, from Oregon to Montana.
The most dangerous fire conditions coming later Saturday are mostly due to persistent strong winds and very dry conditions impacting parts of parts of Washington state and Oregon.
A rare Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning has been issued for 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT on Saturday across parts of eastern Washington and Oregon including Spokane and Pendleton. This is the highest alert possible by the National Weather Service for fire weather danger.
So far this season, wildfires have burned more than 1.7 million acres in Oregon with 30 uncontained large wildfires currently burning across the state this weekend. In 2024, a record 1.93 million acres burned across the state.
More than two thirds of the West continue to experience drought conditions of varying intensity. In Oregon, more than half of the state is facing severe drought (level 2 of 4) conditions, with roughly 20% of the state currently experiencing an extreme drought (level 3 of 4).
Multiple large wildfires continue to burn across eastern Oregon and Washington, and the massive amount of smoke coming from these wildfires is also bringing hazy skies and impacting air quality in parts of the Northwest.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide state of emergency Saturday due to drought conditions and issued a burn ban until the end of September.
"The ban does not prohibit liquid-fueled or gas-fueled stoves or grills over non-flammable surfaces and at least five feet from flammable vegetation; agricultural or silvicultural burning with appropriate fire permits; or campfires on private property or at state, county and municipal parks and campgrounds that are contained in structures such as fire rings or fire pits," the governor's office said in a statement.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live