309  
FNUS21 KWNS 101630  
FWDDY1  
 
DAY 1 FIRE WEATHER OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
1129 AM CDT MON AUG 10 2026  
 
VALID 101700Z - 111200Z  
 
THE ONGOING FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK FOR ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER  
CONDITIONS ACROSS THE CALIFORNIA CENTRAL VALLEY AND PORTIONS OF THE  
INTERMOUNTAIN WEST, AND ISOLATED DRY THUNDERSTORMS IN THE GREAT  
BASIN, NORTHWESTERN COLORADO, AND THE WYOMING HIGHER TERRAIN.  
SURFACE OBSERVATIONS DEPICT MORE IMPROVED OVERNIGHT RECOVERIES  
OCCURRED ACROSS SOUTHERN UTAH AND EASTERN NEVADA, RESULTING FROM  
SURGING MONSOONAL MOISTURE AND GREATER COVERAGE OF OBSERVED 0.1-0.4"  
RAINFALL IN THE LAST 24 HOURS. FARTHER NORTH/EAST, A MIX OF DRY  
THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN LIKELY WHERE A DRY BOUNDARY LAYER WILL FAVOR  
EVAPORATION AND LESS PRECIPITATION EFFICIENCY. WILDFIRES AND ANY NEW  
STARTS MAY BE EXACERBATED BY METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY  
IN AREAS WHERE BREEZY WINDS/LOW RH AND THE ISOLATED DRY THUNDERSTORM  
RISK OVERLAP. DEEP PYROCONVECTION IS ALSO POSSIBLE ON ACTIVE LARGE  
WILDFIRES DUE TO THE FAVORABLE DRY THUNDERSTORM ENVIRONMENT, AS  
SHOWN BY THE ROCKY CANYON FIRE PRODUCING A PYROCB YESTERDAY  
AFTERNOON. PLEASE SEE THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOR MORE INFORMATION.  
 
..ELIZALDE-GARCIA.. 08/10/2026  
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
/ISSUED 0134 AM CDT MON AUG 10 2026/  
   
..SYNOPSIS
 
 
FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL PERSIST TODAY ACROSS PARTS OF THE WESTERN  
CONUS. EARLY MORNING WATER-VAPOR IMAGERY CONTINUES TO DEPICT A BROAD  
UPPER RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHWEST, AND THIS FEATURE IS EXPECTED TO  
REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH AT LEAST THE NEXT 48 HOURS. AS A RESULT,  
LOW-LEVEL MASS RESPONSES WILL BE MUTED WITH GENERALLY WEAK GRADIENT  
WINDS FOR MOST LOCATIONS WEST OF THE ROCKIES. NONETHELESS, SOME  
AREAS WILL STILL EXPERIENCE TERRAIN-DRIVEN WIND SPEEDS REACHING OR  
EXCEEDING ELEVATED THRESHOLDS WITH A VERY DRY AIR MASS.  
ADDITIONALLY, MONSOONAL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO SPREAD NORTHWARD  
THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN AND FOUR CORNERS REGION, AND WILL SUPPORT  
ANOTHER DAY OF ISOLATED DRY THUNDERSTORMS.  
   
..GREAT BASIN
 
 
BREEZY CONDITIONS (SUSTAINED WINDS AROUND 15 MPH) WITH RH MINIMUMS  
IN THE TEENS AND LOW 20S ARE EXPECTED ACROSS A BROAD SWATH OF THE  
NORTHERN GREAT BASIN AGAIN TODAY, LARGELY HEATING AND DEEP MIXING OF  
A DRY LOW-LEVEL AIR MASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION. A FEW REGIONS  
WILL LIKELY SEE MORE PROLONGED AND SOMEWHAT WIDESPREAD ELEVATED  
CONDITIONS WITH SUSTAINED WINDS CLOSER TO 20 MPH WHERE TOPOGRAPHIC  
INFLUENCES WILL LOCALLY AUGMENT LOW-LEVEL FLOW (NAMELY IN THE LEE OF  
THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA IN NORTHWEST NV AND THROUGH THE SNAKE  
RIVER VALLEY IN EASTERN ID). FUELS ACROSS THE BROADER REGION REMAIN  
RECEPTIVE TO FIRE STARTS (AS EVIDENT BY SCATTERED NEW STARTS OVER  
THE PAST 24 HOURS), AND WILL SUPPORT ANOTHER DAY OF FIRE WEATHER  
CONCERNS.  
   
..CALIFORNIA CENTRAL VALLEY
 
 
AN ONSHORE FLOW REGIME WILL PERSIST FOR TODAY ALONG THE CA COAST,  
WHICH SHOULD FAVOR DOWNSLOPE FLOW INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE  
CENTRAL VALLEY. DRY CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL AGAIN TODAY WITH  
AFTERNOON RH VALUES IN THE TEENS TO LOW 20S. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER  
CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WHERE BREEZY DOWNSLOPE WINDS CAN OVERLAP  
WITH DRY CONDITIONS.  
   
..SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS
 
 
MODEST LEE TROUGHING WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ALONG THE HIGH PLAINS FOR  
TODAY, WHICH WILL MAINTAIN SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERLY LOW-LEVEL WINDS  
ACROSS THE OK/TX PANHANDLES AND ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST KS  
AND NORTHWEST OK. BASED ON RECENT ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE AND OBSERVED  
WINDS YESTERDAY (WHICH FEATURED A SIMILAR SYNOPTIC REGIME),  
SUSTAINED WINDS BETWEEN 15-20 MPH ARE LIKELY WITH GUSTS UP TO 30-40  
MPH POSSIBLE. ADDITIONALLY, FORECAST HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED  
TO ONCE AGAIN EXCEED 100 F WITH AFTERNOON RH VALUES IN THE TEENS TO  
LOW 20S. THESE HOT, DRY, AND WINDY CONDITIONS SHOULD SUPPORT A SWATH  
OF ELEVATED TO LOCALLY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.  
   
..DRY THUNDERSTORMS
 
 
00 UTC RAOBS FROM ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN AND FOUR CORNERS REGION  
SAMPLED VERY STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES WITHIN A PLUME OF RICH  
MONSOONAL MOISTURE. PWAT VALUES OF 0.8 TO 1.0 INCH WERE NOTED ACROSS  
MUCH OF THE REGION AND WILL PROMOTE A MIX OF WET AND DRY  
THUNDERSTORMS FOR MOST OF AZ, UT, AND NV. HOWEVER, DRIER CONDITIONS  
ARE NOTED ON THE NORTHERN FRINGE OF THE MOISTURE PLUME AND SHOULD  
SUPPORT A HIGHER PROBABILITY FOR PREDOMINANTLY DRY THUNDERSTORMS  
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING - MAINLY ACROSS NORTHERN NV INTO PORTIONS  
OF ID AND WY. GIVEN A RECEPTIVE FUEL LANDSCAPE ALREADY IN PLACE,  
LIGHTNING IGNITIONS WILL BE A CONCERN.  
   
..PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/FIRE FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT
 
 

 
 
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