On Friday evening, August 25th, 2017, the National Weather Service issued a RED FLAG WARNING from Friday evening, August 25th, 2017 beginning at 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM Saturday August 26th, 2017, for gusty winds and poor humidity recoveries.
This Red Flag Warning also included a “Fire Weather Watch” in the southwestern area of Oregon. The affected areas were specific to the southern half of Curry County, “especially at and near the Chetco Bar Fire”.
The weather watch could contribute to the potential for significant spread of new and or existing fires with a “Haines Index” of 6. This index is conducive to plume dominated fires.
The “Haines Index” is also known as Lower Atmosphere Severity Index which measures the potential for dry, unstable air to contribute to the development of large or erratic wild land fires.
This Fire Weather Watch is in effect from Sunday morning August 27th, 2017, through Sunday evening. It warns of winds of 5 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph from the northeast, with humidity levels as low as 15 percent this evening, then recovering to only to 20 to 45 percent tonight and into Saturday morning reaching its lowest levels on upper slopes and ridges.