Exceptional fire weather conditions — including a rare Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Red Flag Warning — have been a key driver of the Pacific Northwest's devastating 2026 wildfire season. Forecasters warn that above-average fire risk will persist through at least September, with no significant relief in sight for the coming week.

Particularly Dangerous Situation Alert

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a rare Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning last week, covering parts of eastern Washington and Oregon including the Spokane and Pendleton areas. PDS designations are reserved for conditions considered exceptionally dangerous — conditions where fire behavior is expected to be extreme and life-threatening. The combination of record heat, critically low relative humidity, and gusty winds earned the PDS classification.

Additional Red Flag Warnings have been issued in central Washington for the past several days, with wind gusts capable of driving erratic fire spread and threatening containment lines established by firefighters.

Current Weather Conditions

Eastern Oregon and Washington have experienced a prolonged stretch of hot, dry, and breezy conditions over the past 72-plus hours. Temperatures have exceeded seasonal norms, dew points have remained very low, and relative humidity has dropped into single digits during afternoon heating hours — a combination that creates explosive fire potential in cured grass, timber, and brush fuels.

Spot fire activity — where embers lofted by the wind start new ignitions ahead of the main fire front — has complicated suppression efforts on multiple incidents. Firefighters working the Hagen, Kaiser Canyon, and Spokane Complex fires have all reported extreme fire behavior driven by wind events over the past week.

Extended Outlook: Above Normal Risk Through September

The latest National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center shows all of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho at above-average fire risk through at least September. The outlook also flags above-normal conditions in northern Montana, Nevada, Utah, and parts of California.

The elevated risk is being driven by:

  • Persistent drought: Large portions of the Pacific Northwest remain in severe to extreme drought, with soil moisture at historically low levels for early August.
  • Below-normal snowpack: A dry winter and early spring melt left watersheds and forests with far less moisture than average heading into fire season.
  • Above-normal temperatures: The region has seen extended heat events throughout June and July, curing fuels earlier and more thoroughly than typical years.
  • El Niño influences: The ongoing El Niño weather pattern has contributed to warmer, drier conditions across much of the western U.S.

What to Watch This Week

Forecasters are tracking the potential for thunderstorm activity in parts of Idaho and eastern Oregon later this week, which could produce dry lightning strikes and spark new ignitions in areas with critically low fuel moisture. Any new starts during this period of already-stretched firefighting resources would be of significant concern.

Residents throughout the Pacific Northwest — especially those in rural and interface areas — should have a go-bag ready, know their evacuation routes, and monitor local emergency alerts continuously through the remainder of the fire season.