Fire warning issued for region

A red flag warning has been issued until 9 p.m. today for much of southeastern Washington and north central Idaho, according to the National Weather Service.

According to a Friday news release, the Idaho Department of Lands “has become increasingly aware of significant fire weather potential migrating towards Idaho from the west over the next three to four days. This was largely absent until (Thursday). Red flag warnings are in effect for eastern Washington and northern Idaho.”

Fire warnings are in place for most of central Idaho, the news release said.

The National Weather Service predicts high temperatures, unstable atmosphere and strong but not extreme winds throughout the Northwest.

“We have been expecting the hot and dry conditions to persist,” the news release said, “but this new development adds unstable atmosphere as a major concern. This could mean high-base thunder cells forming when thunderstorms are not forecast.

“We are also seeing new fire starts and existing fires picking up activity and aggressively burning over the past 24 hours.”

The news release urges people to exercise caution and recreate over the Labor Day weekend in a “fire-safe way.”

Some new road and trail closures on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest were put into effect Friday because of various wildfires burning in the region. These include:

The Magruder Road Corridor is currently open between Elk City and Darby, Mont. However, based on critical fire weather conditions for today and the potential for increased fire activity on the Twist Creek Fire, south of Sabe Vista and the Cayuse Fire, north of the Hells Half Road, there is a high likelihood that fire personnel may need to temporarily close the Magruder Corridor to ensure public safety.

Potential closures for the Twist Creek Fire would be between Sabe Saddle and Salmon Base Camp and potential closures for the Cayuse Fire would be between Magruder Ranger Station and Nez Perce Pass.

Visitors should be prepared for potential delays that may affect their travel plans and require an extension of their trip or prohibit travel across the entire corridor.

A highway reader board has been installed at the junction of Nez Perce Road and West Fork Highway to provide the public with the latest information on potential delays or closures.

Cave Point Trail No. 617 on the North Fork Ranger District is closed in its entirety because of the Deep Creek Fire.

Lynx Creek Fire on the Red River Ranger District is closed from the junction with Forest Road No. 285 to the end of the trail at the junction of Forest Road No. 565.

On the Salmon River Ranger District an area closure has been put into effect in the Square Mountain area because of the Twin Lakes Fire. The closure boundary begins at the trailhead of North Moore’s Trail No. 312 and proceeds northward to the Square Mountain Trail No. 383.

Additional details about these and other closure orders across the forests can be found here: bit.ly/3BaQumv.

Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.

Valley sees rare 100-degree September day

The Lewiston-Clarkston Valley saw a rare September triple-digit temperature reading Friday, when the official high was 102, according to the National Weather Service.

It’s only the fourth 100-degree day in September over the past 20 years. The previous such days, which all topped out at 100, were on Sept. 4, 2020; Sept. 2, 2015; and Sept. 3, 2003.

There have been 18 triple-digit days in Lewiston this summer. In August, Lewiston had an average temperature of 80.1 degrees, which is the highest August average in the town’s history, according to NWS records that date back to 1882. The previous record was 79.6, which came in August 1915.