Winds to raise fire danger, blowing dust concerns over southwestern US
On the heels of the announcement that this year's wildfire season could be worse than 2018, residents across the Southwest are facing a heightened fire danger early this weekend.
A potent storm that whitened some of the higher terrain of the Rocky Mountains with snow on Thursday and Friday will fail to deliver rain to most of California and the Desert Southwest. What the storm will lack in terms of rainfall will be replaced by strong, gusty winds.
Through Saturday, the strongest winds will focus on areas from northern Arizona to New Mexico and neighboring parts of West Texas.
Within these zones, wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph will be common into the early evening.
California's Sacramento Valley will also be subject to gusty winds into Saturday. Peak wind gusts here can reach 40 mph.
Dangerous crosswinds, especially for drivers of semi-trucks and campers, can develop on stretches of interstates 10, 17, 25 and 40. Air travelers can also experience flight delays and increased turbulence.
Motorists planning to travel through the deserts should remain aware of blowing dust and sudden poor visibility.
Blowing dust can be notorious for causing chain-reaction accidents.
The winds also threaten to spread new or existing wildfires.
While snow continues to cover the peaks of the Sierra Nevada, the lush vegetation that grew amid the wet winter and rare rainy May has dried out this month and will provide plenty of fuel for any wildfires that ignite not just into this weekend but through the entire wildfire season.
A firefighting aircraft flies through smoke after dropping fire retardant on a hillside in an attempt to box in flames from a wildfire locally called the Sand Fire in Rumsey, California, on Sunday, June 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson)
That is why a wet winter is always viewed as a double-edged sword for the region.
Residents and visitors should use extreme care when dealing with cigarette butts, campfires and any activity that involves sparks.
The winds may also cause sporadic tree damage and toss around loose lawn items. If trees down power lines, power outages will result and the sparks can also ignite a fire.
Downwind of the ongoing fires, the gusty conditions can create poor air quality and haze into this weekend.
The Woodbury Fire remains the largest wildfire in the southwestern United States, as of Saturday morning. The blaze has charred over 79,000 acres in the mountains east of Phoenix, according to Inciweb.
The Gila County Office of Emergency Management announced an evacuation alert for residents of the Roosevelt and Roosevelt Lake areas due to the fire.
Here's what you need to know about what's covered if your home gets damaged by a devastating wildfire.
The Badger Springs Fire forced officials to close both directions of I-17, north of Phoenix, when it ignited on Friday afternoon. The interstate is now open, but smoke can be seen east of the highway.
No communities are being threatened by this fire, according to Inciweb. The blaze has charred 1,500 acres in an area covered by Arizona's Bureau of Land Management.
Even a small brush fire that briefly gets out of hand can endanger lives and property.
One juvenile was injured when a brush fire broke out in Lake View Terrace, north of Los Angeles, on Wednesday evening, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.
The winds are expected to ease late in the weekend before a dip in the jet stream sets up across the West and brings an extended period of dry, gusty winds and heightened fire danger to the interior Southwest most of next week.
While next week's pattern will once again heighten the fire danger, it will prevent searing summer heat from building.
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay alert for fire weather advisories. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
