Red Flag Warning

A weather system continues to move through the area Thursday, bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms to the region. Lightning strikes will have the potential to start new wildfires, and gusty and erratic outflow winds could cause dangerous conditions around new and existing wildfires.

The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a Red Flag Warning for thunderstorms, which is in effect from noon today to 10 PM PDT this evening.

* Affected Area: East Washington Central Cascades (Zone 696), East Portion of North Cascades National Park/Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (Zone 697) and East Washington North Cascades (Zone 698).

* Thunderstorms: 20 to 40 percent chance of thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening.

* Outflow Winds: Gusty outflow winds up to 30 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.