Firefighters battling three major wildfires around Spokane will get their most favorable weather in several days Monday, but the break won’t last as temperatures climb back into the 90s later this week.
Monday will be sunny and dry, with a high near 80 degrees. Winds will be light, a significant improvement from the weekend, when fires exploded in size.
Saturday’s combination of exceptionally dry air and a powerful cold front produced sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts above 40 mph. Sunday was about 10 degrees cooler, and winds eased considerably, but occasional gusts still helped the fires spread.
The lighter winds Monday should give crews a better opportunity to strengthen containment lines. But fuels remain extremely dry, no meaningful rain is expected and thick wildfire smoke could continue to reduce air quality and visibility.
Temperatures will then rise quickly as high pressure builds along the Pacific Northwest coast. Spokane is forecast to warm to the mid-80s Tuesday, lower 90s Wednesday and mid-90s Thursday.
That warming will be driven by strong upper-level high pressure, commonly called a heat dome, rebuilding over the Pacific Northwest. The cold front responsible for Saturday’s extreme winds temporarily swept away the hottest air, but the strengthening heat dome will turn up the thermostat again.
Winds should remain relatively light through midweek, keeping fire weather less extreme than Saturday despite the returning heat. Friday is the next period to watch: Increasing winds could overlap with hot, bone-dry conditions to exacerbate fires.
