Red flag warnings issued for Spokane area Wednesday

Dry and windy weather forecast for Wednesday has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a red flag warning across much of Eastern Washington.

The prime conditions for grass and brush fires will last from about 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The warning extends west to the Ellensburg, Vantage, Wenatchee and Chelan areas with winds peaking at 40 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

This increases the potential for rapid fire spread of existing or new fires, NWS meteorologist Laurie Nisbet said.

“If you’re outdoor recreating tomorrow, probably no campfires given the windy conditions,” Nisbet said.

Brush fires are commonly started when cars or trucks accidentally drag things like shrubs or chains that create sparks, Nisbet added.

The predicted relative humidity is low at 15% to 20%, according to the NWS.

There are no fires of concern currently, Nisbet said.

Department of Natural Resources Forester Guy Gifford agreed.

“We don’t have any active wildfires per se in the area,” Gifford said.

This is an early season red flag warning, and the Spokane-area wildfire danger is currently high, Gifford said.

On average in the area recently there has been one wildfire start a day, Gifford said. Firefighters had a 3-acre fire along Dunn Road contained as of Tuesday evening.

Temperatures at the end of the week are expected to be cooler than normal, with some rain and thunderstorms.

“It’s going to be a return to kind of springlike weather,” Nisbet said, with temperatures in the 60s.