SPOKANE, Wash. — Thursday's Red Flag Warning in the Columbia basin marks only the 10th total warning of this kind this year, and well below the frequency seen in recent years.
While the cold and somewhat rainy July weather plays a factor into that so far, it doesn't necessarily mean this trend will continue.
On average, the greater Spokane area covering eastern Washington and north Idaho sees about 40 or so Red Flag Warnings issued each year, which is a total number of zones warned, not total days. Here's the number of Red Flag Warnings issued by year since 2011...
There are some outliers including in 2011 when there were only eight total Red Flag Warnings. In 2015, there were more than a hundred, almost twice as many as any year this decade. Of course, 2015 was a hot and dry summer with a harsh drought, leading to a lot of red flag warnings to be issued.
So, despite the cool and rainy weather this July, there is still a drought for western and northern Washington which can lead to far more red flag warning days later in the summer.
