Alert archive / Washington / Red Flag Warnings in 2026
Red Flag Warning 21, NWS Spokane, WA
NWS Spokane, WA issued this red flag warning at Aug 17, 2026, 2:32 PM PDT for Asotin County, Columbia County, Garfield County, Washington. It took effect at Aug 18, 2026, 12:00 PM PDT. It was in force for 10 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 17, 2026, 2:32 PM PDT (21:32 UTC)
- In effect from
- Aug 18, 2026, 12:00 PM PDT
- Expired
- Aug 18, 2026, 10:00 PM PDT
- In force
- 10 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Spokane, WA
Counties Asotin County, WA, Columbia County, WA, Garfield County, WA
The radar
The Pendleton radar (KPDT), 122 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:34 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
The nearest sounding before it
Salem/Mcnary, OR (KSLE), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 451 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 993 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 19 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -55 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 20 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
217 WWUS86 KOTX 172132 RFWOTX URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Spokane WA 232 PM PDT Mon Aug 17 2026 ...BREEZY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY TUESDAY... .A weather system will move through the area on Tuesday, bringing breezy westerly to southwesterly winds to this region tomorrow afternoon and evening. Combined with low relative humidity values, this will lead to critical fire weather conditions across the Lower Palouse and Snake River. WAZ709-181215- /O.NEW.KOTX.FW.W.0021.260818T1900Z-260819T0500Z/ Lower Palouse - Snake River (Zone 709)- 232 PM PDT Mon Aug 17 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 10 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 709... The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from noon to 10 PM PDT Tuesday. * Affected Area: Lower Palouse -Snake River (Zone 709). * Winds: West 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. * Relative Humidities: 15 to 20 percent. * Impacts: Rapid fire spread is possible with any new or ongoing fires. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now....or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. && $$
2 follow-up statements
256 WWUS86 KOTX 181122 RFWOTX URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Spokane WA 422 AM PDT Tue Aug 18 2026 ...BREEZY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY TUESDAY... .A weather system will move through the area on Tuesday, bringing breezy westerly to southwesterly winds Tuesday afternoon and evening. Combined with low relative humidity values, this will lead to critical fire weather conditions across the Lower Palouse and Snake River. WAZ709-190500- /O.CON.KOTX.FW.W.0021.260818T1900Z-260819T0500Z/ Lower Palouse - Snake River (Zone 709)- 422 AM PDT Tue Aug 18 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 10 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 709... The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from noon to 10 PM PDT Tuesday. * Affected Area: Lower Palouse-Snake River (Zone 709). * Winds: West 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. * Relative Humidities: 12 to 19 percent. * Impacts: Rapid fire spread is possible with any new or ongoing fires. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now....or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. && $$
992 WWUS86 KOTX 190449 RFWOTX URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Spokane WA 949 PM PDT Tue Aug 18 2026 WAZ709-190600- /O.EXP.KOTX.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-260819T0500Z/ Lower Palouse - Snake River (Zone 709)- 949 PM PDT Tue Aug 18 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 709... The threat has ended as conditions have improved and no longer critical. $$
The office that day
Everything else NWS Spokane, WA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 5:09 PM PDT | Special Weather Statement | OTX | Asotin | 36 min |
| Aug 16, 5:52 PM PDT | Special Weather Statement | OTX | Asotin | 23 min |
Nearby
Red Flag Warnings in Washington, 2026Every red flag warning in 2026
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.