Wildfire forecast: August could be trouble spot

Federal and Northwest land management agencies are meeting in Yakima this week to discuss the 2018 wildfire season and produce the 2018 wildfire forecast.

John Soltenberger, Fire Weather Program Manager with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland says Washington does not appear to be facing a severe fire season overall but he is concerned about the late summer months.   That is because the average temperature in August has been at or below normal just three times since 1995.   If that trend continues, Soltenberger would expect the wildfire season to get very active in the late summer months.

Soltenberger also points to the 2017 outlook that called for a normal to below average wildfire season.  He calls it an example of how this year's forecast is subject to change

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center updates the wildfire forecast monthly through the wildfire season