Weather Service issues red flag warning for East Pierce County
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the foothills of east Pierce County. The warning took effect Thursday at 1 a.m. and will go until 11 p.m.
According to a Facebook post from the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management, red flag warnings are issued when fire danger is high due to warm and dry conditions with low humidity and windy weather.
The NWS announced earlier this week that Washington would be hit with scattered thunderstorms, concentrating mostly over the Cascade crest and the Olympics.
NWS meteorologist Dev McMillian told The News Tribune on Thursday he’s seen thunderstorms move along the coast of Western Washington and that they will continue to push from south Puget Sound to the north.
“These thunderstorms have produced frequent lightning and will continue throughout the morning before decreasing in coverage later into the afternoon,” McMillian said in a phone call.
McMillan said the NWS issued the warning because of the state’s recent warm and dry conditions. He said that any lightning strike increases the risk of new wildfires, even with ongoing rainfall, as lightning can strike outward of 10 miles from the core of a storm.
McMillian urged the public to avoid any kind of outside burning and wait for weather conditions to improve before resuming recreational burning activities.
