Skamania County Emergency Management

New event: Fire Weather Warning for Skamania County, WA, Whatcom County, WA, Skagit County, WA, Snohomish County, WA, King County, WA, Pierce County, WA, Lewis County, WA, Thurston County, WA, Grays Harbor County, WA, Mason County, WA, Jefferson County, WA, Clallam County, WA
Sent via Email at 1214 pm PDT, Jul 15th 2026

WAZ652-658-659-661-161200-
/O.UPG.KSEW.FW.A.0001.260716T0800Z-260717T0600Z/
/O.NEW.KSEW.FW.W.0001.260716T0800Z-260717T0600Z/
West Portion of the Olympic Mountains-
West Slopes of the North Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet-
West Slopes of the Central Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet-
East Portion of the Olympic Mountains-
1214 PM PDT Wed Jul 15 2026
..RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 11 PM PDT THURSDAY FOR
LIGHTNING AND GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 652,
658, 659, AND 661...

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a Red Flag
Warning for lightning and gusty outflow winds, which is in effect
from 1 AM to 11 PM PDT Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is no
longer in effect.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 652 West Portion of the
Olympic Mountains, Fire Weather Zone 658 West Slopes of the
North Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet, Fire Weather Zone
659 West Slopes of the Central Cascades Generally above 1500
Feet and Fire Weather Zone 661 East Portion of the Olympic
Mountains.

* LIGHTNING...Scattered thunderstorm coverage in the Cascades and
Olympic mountains. Timing on thunderstorm development will be
early Thursday morning and again in the afternoon and evening.

* OUTFLOW WINDS...Any storms that develop will be capable of
gusty and erratic outflow winds between 35 and 50 miles per
hour. Outflow winds can occur ahead of and behind storms and
cause erratic wind directions.

* IMPACTS...Scattered lightning in dry fuels can cause multiple
fire starts. Thunderstorms can also bring sudden sharp wind
shifts on existing fires, causing rapid changes in a fire's rate
of spread and direction of spread. Thunderstorm outflow winds
can be a threat for several hours following the start of a new
lightning-caused fire. If a fire were to begin, air quality may
diminish in the surrounding area. Very warm weather Friday into
next week increases the chances of increased fire activity on
potential new starts from Thursday's lightning activity.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either imminent or occurring now. Any fires that develop will
likely spread quickly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.

I am officially retiring today and handing off the torch to the very capable Matt White, who will serve as your new County Emergency Manager. It has been my honor to serve you (Barb Ayers) - this is my new Skamania volunteer badge. I will continue to support Matt and the amazing Skamania County pro and volunteer team at Skamania County Sheriff's Office

Get Ready Skamania! One page to follow for prep tips, evacuation maps, and fire season updates GetReadySkamania.com!