State forestry officials warn that a thin Cascade snowpack and record-low June humidity have set the stage for a dangerous fire season across Multnomah and Hood River counties.
The Oregon Department of Forestry issued a High Fire Danger advisory on Monday covering the Columbia River Gorge and much of the western Cascade foothills, citing a combination of factors that officials say mirrors — and in some respects exceeds — conditions that preceded the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire.
Snowpack on Mount Hood melted out nearly a month ahead of schedule, according to data from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Meanwhile, June recorded its lowest average relative humidity in the Portland metro since records began in 1940, hovering near 22% on most afternoons.
"The fuel moisture levels we're seeing in the Gorge are what we'd typically expect in late August," said Lisa Trombetta, a fire behavior analyst with the Oregon Department of Forestry. "Undergrowth that would normally still be damp from spring rain is already dry and brittle. One errant spark is all it takes."
Multnomah County has preemptively banned the use of fireworks in unincorporated areas through the Fourth of July holiday and is urging residents in wildland-urban interface zones to clear defensible space around their homes. Hood River County issued a similar ban on Monday, with county commissioners warning that fire suppression resources may be stretched thin if multiple ignitions occur simultaneously.
The advisory comes as the U.S. Forest Service prepares for what it projects will be an above-normal wildfire season across the Pacific Northwest. A warm, dry spring has left much of western Oregon drier than average heading into peak season.
Residents in high-risk areas are encouraged to sign up for county emergency alert systems, develop evacuation plans, and visit oregon.gov/odf for defensible space guidelines. The next fire danger assessment is scheduled for July 13th.