Red Flag Warning for All of Southern Idaho

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)-The U.S. National Weather Service in has issued a Red Flag Warning for all of the southern portion of Idaho including most of Nevada, eastern Oregon and the western half of Utah. The Weather Service has upgraded a Fire Weather Watch to the Red Flag Warning as forecasters expect to see increased thunderstorm activity beginning Wednesday (July 22) through the evening into Thursday (July 23).

According to the Weather Service:

Monsoonal moisture pushes north of the Nevada border tonight. This moisture combines with strong daytime heating and a weak upper low that pushes inland across Central California and the Great Basin. The lower layers of the airmass will be dry, therefore outflow winds to 50 mph are possible in the vicinity of
the storms. Drier air begins to filter into Eastern Oregon Wednesday night but lingers across the Idaho zones for Thursday. Some wetting rains are possible directly under the thunderstorms, but little if any precipitation elsewhere.

According to the Weather Service in Pocatello, scattered thunderstorm activity is expected to increase region-wide on Wednesday and could increase the possibility of lightning sparked wildfires. Winds produced by the storms could produce gusts as high as 50 mph or more. The Weather Service says people should be prepared for evacuations if a fire starts in their area.

Already fire crews have worked to contain a more than 1,500 acre wildfire near Pocatello the last several days.