While a warm, dry weekend may be good news for Seattle residents, more rain is needed to dampen wildfires, the National Weather Service says.
Seattle-area residents can expect a warm, sunny Friday and a mostly clear weekend with high temperatures in the low-80s, according to the National Weather Service.
While the weather may be good news for gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts, it’s not helpful to areas battling wildfires, according to Johnny Burg, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
“The warm and dry weather probably won’t be good for the fires,” he said. “They’re likely to keep burning until we get some more rain.”
According to the InciWeb Incident Information System website, there are 28 active wildfires in the state.
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Among the largest are the North Star wildfire near Colville, Stevens County, where more than 210,000 acres have burned. It is listed as being 40 percent contained. Near Twisp, Okanogan County, the Tunk Block fire involving more than 162,565 acres is more than 70 percent contained, according to fire officials.
The Okanogan fire complex near Omak is 85 percent contained, officials said.
According to the weather service, sunny days and clear nights are expected in the Puget Sound area through Saturday night, when cloud cover is predicted.
Forecasters say Sunday will be cloudy with a high in the low-70s, and there’s a slight chance of showers Sunday overnight.
The start of next week likely will bring more clouds, cooler temperatures and a chance of showers, Burg said.
Even with some wet weather predicted for next week, drought warnings persist in the region with cities and counties urging residents to continue to reduce water consumption where possible.