National Weather Service – Medford, OR: A ‘Red Flag’ warning went into effect at 2 pm (1400 hrs.) this afternoon to 11 pm (2300 hrs.) this evening for abundant lightning with dry fuels.
There is a strong possibility that isolated thunderstorms will develop this afternoon through evening in northern California and east of the Cascades. On Wednesday, cooler temperatures will arrive with breezy winds, lingering showers, and continued thunderstorms. Warmer temperatures return Friday into the weekend.
Lakeview, Ore. From July 16th – July 19th, the South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership (SCOFMP) area experienced a few new wildfires from lightning strikes. As the summer progresses, fuels are becoming drier and fire growth is becoming larger. Fire fighters were still able to quickly stop the progression of all the new wildfires upon arrival.
The largest wildfire was the Spring Lake Mutual Aid fire (3.5 acres) on July 18th south of Kingsley Field. The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) responded as mutual aid with the Klamath County Fire District #1. The second and third largest, July 16th, was the Rock Creek fire (2.6 acres) on ODF protected lands and the Utley fire (2.5 acres) on the Fremont-Winema National Forest (FWF). The July 16th, Stams fire (0.5 acres) also on the FWF concluded the list of fires with growth of more than a ½ acre. While 3 other wildfires stayed 0.25 acres or less.
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