The , released this week by the National Interagency Fire Center, shows above-normal fire risk running down the middle of Oregon from the Columbia River to the California border for the month of May.
Meteorologist John Saltenberger with the in Portland says that while the risk of high-severity fire in the region is low, persistent drought in Central Oregon could lead to combustible conditions.
鈥淲e do anticipate that on dry, windy days, if we get some of those in May, that there is risk of fires escaping,鈥� Saltenberger said.
The outlook shows above-normal fire risk spreading across the state as the season progresses, snaking into southwest Oregon in July, then covering the majority of Oregon and Central Washington by August.
That鈥檚 despite in some parts of the Northwest.
Portland . Portions of Western Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge were similarly drenched. The precipitation contributed to snowpack in higher elevations.
While above-average precipitation and snowpack can lessen an area鈥檚 wildfire risk, Saltenberger said the top factor is summer weather, especially wind and lightning.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen years where we had plenty of rain and snow in the winter, and by August we had a lot of fire around both Oregon and Washington,鈥� Saltenberger said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檝e seen other years where it鈥檚 been quite dry, and we didn鈥檛 wind up with that severe of a fire season.鈥�
The areas east of the Cascades are likely to experience above-average temperatures, while almost the entire Pacific Northwest is likely to see below-average precipitation this summer.
The region鈥檚 climate is also .
Oregon and Washington are experiencing fewer cool, wet days, especially during the fire season. That sets conditions for new ignitions to grow into bigger fires and allows existing fires to continue burning.
鈥淒oes it seem like fire seasons have been getting worse in the last decade in the Pacific Northwest?鈥� Saltenberger said. 鈥淭he answer is emphatically yes.鈥�
Nearly 830,000 acres burned in 2,202 fires in Oregon last year, , with about half of the acreage burning in the Bootleg Fire in Southern Oregon. Almost 675,000 acres burned in 1,863 fires in Washington.
Copyright 2022 Oregon Public Broadcasting. To see more, visit .