196
FXUS66 KPDT 072247
AFDPDT

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
347 PM PDT Fri Aug 7 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...
1. Breezy to windy conditions and low RHs Today and Saturday
                    *Red Flag Warning*

2. Dry, warm and breezy conditions will persist through the weekend
   and beginning of the week

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Current satellite shows smokey skies over the region this afternoon
which will continue through the forecast period. AQAs have been
extended through Monday for all counties except Sherman, Gilliam and
Morrow with Deschutes dropping off tomorrow at noon. Otherwise,
southwest to westerly flow will keep the smoke moving east with
little to no reprieve.

Models currently show the surface thermal trough sitting over the
eastern portion of the region and it is expected to exit tomorrow.
This is what is causing the hot, dry and windy conditions across the
region. Temperatures are in the upper 90s across a vast majority of
the region with humidity as low a single digits and winds between 10
to 20 mph with areas gusting between 20 to 40 mph (70-90%
confidence). This is what lead to the issuance of a Red Flag Warning
today from 11 AM through Saturday at 11 PM for the Lower Columbia
Basin of OR & WA, Eastern Columbia River Gorge, Warm Springs
Reservation and Kittitas Valley.

Winds are expected to remain 10 to 15 mph and gusting between 20 to
30 mph through at least Tuesday with 70-80% of the NBM raw ensembles
in agreement. Minimum relative humidity will slowly increase and the
area will remain in elevated fire weather concerns but under
critical thresholds. Westerly flow will continue through the weekend
and beginning of next week with temperatures becoming slightly
cooler. In house calculations shows much of the region to still be
above seasonal average at 10-20 for today steadily decreasing to
near 5 degrees above normal by Monday. NBM shows temperatures to be
in the upper 90s today across the Basin, Gorge, central OR and
foothills of the Blues while decreasing into the low 90s by Monday
(70-90% confidence).

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/...VFR conditions to
prevail through the period. Patchy smoke will continue to be in
the area, but not expected to bring vsby/CIGs to MVFR or lower
(confidence in VFR conditions 75-80%). Breezy winds will
continue into the evening at sites DLS/PDT/RDM/BDN, then become
light overnight. Breezy winds will redevelop by late tomorrow
morning at sites DLS/PDT/ALW. Lawhorn/82

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Red Flag Warnings in effect today through Saturday at
11 PM for winds and low relative humidities. THis is for the
Columbia River Basin of OR & WA, Eastern Columbia River Gorge, Warm
Springs Reservation and Kittitas Valley for winds 10-20 mph gusting
to 20-40 mph with humidity as low as 10-15%. Upper level flow aloft
is from the west driving westerly flow at the surface. With the
thermal trough over the region and moving across, winds have
increased through the Cascade Gaps.

Breezy conditions are expected to persist through the beginning of
the week with west winds 10-15 mph and gusting to near 20-30 mph (70-
80% confidence). As the trough exists eastward, cooler more moist
air will make its way across the Cascades. Humidity will see a
slight increase by Sunday and will decrease fire weather concerns
from critical to elevated.

&&

.Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs...
PDT  59  92  56  88 /   0   0   0   0
ALW  65  93  62  90 /   0   0   0   0
PSC  59  95  59  92 /   0   0   0   0
YKM  61  95  60  92 /   0   0   0   0
HRI  62  94  61  91 /   0   0   0   0
ELN  62  88  59  87 /   0   0   0   0
RDM  50  92  47  88 /   0   0   0   0
LGD  58  94  55  91 /   0   0   0   0
GCD  57  95  54  92 /   0   0   0   0
DLS  63  92  61  89 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Red Flag Warning until 11 PM PDT Saturday for WAZ690-691.
     Air Quality Alert until 5 AM PDT Tuesday for WAZ024-026>030-
     521>523.
OR...Air Quality Alert until noon PDT Monday for ORZ041-044-049-050-
     502-503-505>511.
     Red Flag Warning until 11 PM PDT Saturday for ORZ691-701-703.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...90
AVIATION...82
FIRE WEATHER...90