More than 50 million Americans across the western United States are facing dangerous heat this weekend, with extreme heat warnings stretching from California to Montana. At the same time, critical fire weather conditions are threatening parts of Washington state and Oregon.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency Saturday due to drought conditions and issued a burn ban lasting through the end of September, according to ABC News. The governor's office said the ban does not apply to liquid-fueled or gas-fueled stoves or grills over non-flammable surfaces, fires with proper agricultural permits, or campfires contained in fire rings or pits at parks and campgrounds.
In Phoenix, daily high temperatures of 116 degrees are forecast for both Saturday and Sunday, challenging daily records. Cities including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Billings, Montana are also under Extreme Heat Warnings.
The fire threat in the Pacific Northwest is severe. The National Weather Service issued a rare Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning, the highest possible fire weather alert, for parts of eastern Washington and Oregon from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. The warning covers areas including Spokane and Pendleton, where persistent strong winds and dry conditions are creating conditions for rapidly spreading fires.
Wildfires have already burned more than 1.7 million acres in Oregon this season. Thirty large wildfires remain uncontained across the state. In 2024, a record 1.93 million acres burned in Oregon. Smoke from ongoing fires is causing hazy skies and reducing air quality across parts of the Northwest.
Drought conditions are widespread. More than two-thirds of the West is experiencing drought of varying intensity. In Oregon, more than half the state is in severe drought, classified as level two of four, with roughly 20 percent of the state facing extreme drought, level three of four.
