661  
FNUS22 KWNS 080544  
FWDDY2  
 
DAY 2 FIRE WEATHER OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
1244 AM CDT THU OCT 08 2026  
 
VALID 091200Z - 101200Z  
   
..CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST WYOMING  
 
   
..SYNOPSIS  
 
ON DAY 2/FRIDAY, AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH ADVANCING SOUTHEASTWARD INTO  
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, PAIRED WITH A SURFACE COLD FRONT, WILL CREATE  
IMPACTFUL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN  
AND WESTERN CONUS. PROLONGED DRY, WARM CONDITIONS BENEATH A  
PERSISTENT UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY CURED FUELS  
THROUGHOUT THE REGION. ENERGY RELEASE COMPONENTS ARE FORECAST TO  
EXCEED THE 80TH PERCENTILE ACROSS THE HIGHLIGHTED RISK AREAS PRIOR  
TO THE ONSET OF STRONGER WINDS.  
 
...MUCH OF WYOMING, CENTRAL MONTANA, SOUTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA, AND  
FAR NORTHWEST NEBRASKA...  
ENHANCED WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ON DAY 2/FRIDAY WILL DRIVE  
WELL-ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PROMOTE SEASONALLY DEEP  
BOUNDARY-LAYER MIXING. A TIGHTENING SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT, TIED  
TO A DEEPENING LEE LOW FURTHER NORTH, AND A SOUTHWARD PROGRESSING  
COLD FRONT, TRANSITING THROUGH MONTANA AROUND SUNSET, WILL BRING  
DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION WITH MINIMUM RH VALUES FALLING TO 15 TO 20  
PERCENT. IN TANDEM, SUSTAINED WEST-SOUTHWEST SURFACE WINDS AHEAD OF  
THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 MPH ACROSS MUCH  
OF THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS AND ADJACENT TERRAIN, WARRANTING AN  
ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER AREA.  
 
FURTHERMORE, A CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA HAS BEEN INTRODUCED FOR  
PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. THIS CORRIDOR IS EXPECTED TO  
EXPERIENCE THE MOST FAVORABLE OVERLAP OF STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS  
SUSTAINED AT 20 TO 25 MPH, CRITICALLY LOW AFTERNOON RH VALUES  
BETWEEN 10 AND 20 PERCENT, AND HIGHLY RECEPTIVE FUELS NEAR THE 90TH  
ERC PERCENTILE.  
 
...SOUTHEAST OREGON, NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA, AND THE FAR WESTERN GREAT  
BASIN...  
WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL SIMILARLY SUPPORT ANOMALOUSLY WARM  
TEMPERATURES AND SEASONALLY DEEP MIXING ACROSS THIS REGION. AS THE  
SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD  
FRONT, WEST-SOUTHWEST SURFACE WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN TO 15 TO 20 MPH  
AND TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST AS THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH  
SOUTHEASTERN OREGON IN THE LATE AFTERNOON. COMBINED WITH AFTERNOON  
RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES DROPPING TO NEAR 15 TO 20 PERCENT OVER DRY  
FUELS, THESE CONDITIONS WILL SUPPORT A TARGETED ELEVATED FIRE  
WEATHER THREAT.  
 
..STEARNS.. 10/08/2026  
   
..PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/FIRE FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT  
 
 
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