Fire watch issued as dry, cold front brings strong winds and low humidity to eastern Idaho
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IDAHO FALLS — Intense thunderstorms swept through eastern Idaho this week, and now the National Weather Service has issued a fire watch for parts of the region.
The watch was issued early Friday morning and will remain in effect through Sunday evening. During the watch, eastern Idaho will see gusty winds and low humidity, which increase conditions conducive to the spread and fueling of fires.
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EastIdahoNews.com spoke with Meteorologist Jack Messick, who said a dry cold front will move into the area, bringing strong winds and low humidity.
“This dry cold front is so dry… it looks like over the next seven days, probably shouldn’t be a drop of rain in Idaho,” Messick said.
In terms of the chances of seeing another round of thunderstorms, Messick said there is a slight chance Friday afternoon, but that will be it.
While the cold part of this cold front is expected to hit later next week, Messick said a prefrontal zone will bring strong gusts of wind.
According to a graph by the NWS, Arco, Dubois, Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Rigby, St. Anthony and Stanley will see gusts over 25 mph on Saturday, with many of those later cities seeing gusts as high as 33 mph.
On Sunday, many of those cities are expected to see gusts over 25 mph. Dubois, Rigby and St. Anthony are expected to see gusts as high as 44 mph.
Messick said that all of these factors increase the likelihood of extreme fire behavior, which is why a fire weather watch was issued.
“These numbers are basically determined by experience in coordination with the Wildland Fire Service and with the U.S. Forest Service,” Messick said.
While the watch is in place for this weekend, Messick said he expects it to become a red flag warning, as the conditions are expected within 24 hours.
Temperature-wise — while it’ll be hot — only a few parts of eastern Idaho will see temperatures hitting 100 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.
Pocatello, Downey and St. Anthony are predicted to see 100 degrees on Saturday. Messick said once the dry cold front fully comes in, temperatures on Monday and Tuesday are expected to drop into the 80s.
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