Fire Weather Watch

...BREEZY TO WINDY WESTERLY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY SATURDAY...

...POTENTIAL FOR HIGH-BASED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON ALONG THE WASHINGTON CASCADES...

.A weather system will bring widespread breezy westerly winds through the Cascade gaps and across the Columbia Basin and portions of the Blue Mountains region on Saturday afternoon and evening. Coupled with low relative humidity, this may lead to critical fire weather conditions. Moreover, there is potential for high-based showers and thunderstorms, with the best chances of abundant lightning along the Washington Cascades overnight through Saturday morning.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 696 John Day Valley, 698 Southern Blue Mountains and 700 Central Mountains of Oregon.

* TIMING...From Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening.

* WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts of 25 to 35 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...10 to 20 percent in the afternoon.

* IMPACTS...Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.