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.

* 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.