Rainy days are ahead for much of Oregon, with temperatures lower than usual for early September.
This is due to a storm system coming from the Gulf of Alaska and moving over the Pacific Northwest. It will start off of Vancouver Island and then move down toward the north Oregon coast throughout this week.
According to Lee Picard, a lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Portland, the storm will bring a significant amount of rain for early September.
“Wednesday should feature mostly a steady rain, nothing exceptionally heavy, but just sort of end-to-end rain through much of the day, certainly wetter than dry,” Picard said.
But, he said, it’s not expected to end the fire season.
“It certainly will help to put a dent in our fire season. September can still be a warm month,” Picard said. “We can still see warm and dry weather, so it will all come down to exactly how much rain falls.”
Temperatures are projected to warm back up once the storm passes.
Last winter was historically mild for Oregon, and more than 2.5 million acres have burned in the state so far this wildfire season. Some Septembers in recent years have seen significant wildfire activity, including the devastating Labor Day fires in 2020.
