Fire Weather Watch

...THUNDERSTORMS, GUSTY WINDS, AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY...

.A strong trough with abundant moisture will usher in a cold front through the region from Saturday into Sunday. There is a risk for thunderstorms as well as strong south to southwest synoptic driven winds. This will lead to critical fire weather conditions across the region.

The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a Fire Weather Watch for thunderstorms, which is in effect from Saturday morning through Sunday morning.

* Affected Area: East Washington Central Cascades (Zone 696), East Portion of North Cascades National Park/Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (Zone 697), East Washington North Cascades (Zone 698), Okanogan Highlands and Kettle Mountains (Zone 699) and Methow Valley (Zone 704).

* Thunderstorms: Scattered showers and thunderstorms Saturday through Sunday morning.

* Outflow Winds: Gusty outflow wind gusts up to 50 mph.

* Impacts: Lightning strikes will have the potential to start new fires, and gusty and erratic outflow winds could cause dangerous conditions around new and existing wildfires.