A red flag warning is set to take effect at noon Thursday for the North Cascades, including the western slopes, and the Olympic Mountains, as thunderstorms could bring lightning capable of sparking new wildfires.
The National Weather Service is also warning about strong and unpredictable outflow winds that can spread rapidly away from thunderstorms. Those winds could reach up to 30 miles per hour, creating additional challenges for firefighters and increasing the potential for fires to grow quickly.
Most of Eastern Washington has been under red flag warnings for much of the month. The Three Queens Fire, located a few miles east of Snoqualmie Pass, is currently the wildfire closest to the Seattle area, while more than 40 uncontained fires continue to burn across the Northwest.
