I don’t have the latest numbers or maps on where the wildfires are burning or what locations are in need of evacuating. I’m learning that stuff as quickly as you all are and it is changing fast. What I can tell you is the winds should die down Thursday and even reverse direction a bit which will not only help clear some of this smoke and ash out (although it will take quite some time), but it will also help reduce and slow the spread of the fires.

The best news I can give you, besides the change in the winds, is that rain is finally expected to arrive Monday evening. In fact next Mon – Wed looks wet which should help put an end to any more significant fire threats. Of course Mon feels so far away right now, but it is better than not having any rain in sight. This map gives you an idea of how much rainfall we could be looking at next week. Lots of blue coloring over western Oregon indicating a solid half inch of rain or more. Good news for fighting the fires, and it sure as heck can’t come soon enough…

I hope you all are staying safe and staying alert. There are what feels like an infinite number of sources to keep you up to date, so make sure you have one that is specifically for your local area to help minimize confusion.