By AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Aug. 7, 2021 12:05 PM EDT
A turn to cooler, wetter weather in the Pacific Northwest will be fleeting, AccuWeather meteorologists say. In the coming week ahead, rain chances will diminish while temperatures are forecast to increase through the region and challenge record highs, which could once again exacerbate the ongoing wildfire situation.
Cooler air and some rain moved back into the coastal Northwest on Friday. In fact, Seattle, Washington, received 0.05 of an inch of rain just before midnight on Thursday evening, snapping a streak of 51 consecutive days without measurable rain in the city. Measurable rain is defined as anything more than a trace. This was just four days shy of the all-time record of 55 days from June 18 through Aug. 11 in 2017.
Raindrops fell in Portland, Oregon, on Friday for the first time since July 15. "While accumulation will be very minimal, it definitely feels great," the local National Weather Service office said on Twitter.
Unfortunately, rain amounts continued to be very low on Friday night, and the light rain did little to quell the fire danger, meteorologists say.
"The good news of some cooler air and rain sweeping into the Northwest will also come with some setbacks for fire crews, especially in terms of the wind," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff.
A second round of rain, that may be somewhat heavier, is forecast to come ashore on Saturday afternoon. While this system will have more moisture, it will also spread wind farther inland.
"The strongest winds will generally be east of the Cascades through the weekend, and these gusty conditions can lead to erratic fire behavior and rapid fire spread," said Duff.
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According to the National Interagency Coordination Center, which coordinates resources to fight wildfires across the United States, there are 90 large unconfined fires burning across Washington and Oregon alone on Saturday morning. Eleven new fires were reported across the region as of Saturday, Aug. 7.
Although the fierce winds will not be good news for firefighters working to contain ongoing fires, there will be one benefit.
"The winds will help to disperse some of the smoke that has gripped the region, at least temporarily," said Duff.
Any minimal relief that Mother Nature provides will be reversed next week. Once the weekend system pushes into the northern Rockies on Sunday, high pressure will begin to build in its wake.
"A large area of high pressure will build back over the region next week, leading to days of a stagnant weather pattern with building heat," said Duff.
Following below-normal temperatures this weekend, highs will get back to near normal by Monday. This will translate to temperatures peaking in the upper 70s F in Seattle and middle 80s in Portland, Oregon. By Tuesday, Seattle will have highs in the lower 80s, with Portland soaring to the upper 80s. The upward trend will only continue from there.
"Temperatures are expected to reach near-record levels in parts of the Northwest," Duff said.
Much of western Oregon away from the immediate coast will approach 100 degrees by Wednesday. The forecast high in Portland is 99 degrees, with the current record being 102 degrees set in 1977. It will not be quite as warm in Seattle, but even there, upper 80s are likely toward the end of the week on Thursday and Friday.
Winds are expected to be fairly light, and the heat and lack of rain will keep the fire threat high. In addition, the light winds will cause smoke to become fairly extensive across much of the West once again.
The temperatures may lower slightly by next weekend, but no rain is in the forecast for the foreseeable future after this weekend.
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