The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for much of Central and Eastern Oregon on Saturday, as hot and windy conditions pose an extreme wildfire risk for a region already hit hard by multiple large fires.

Matt Callihan, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Pendleton, said a cold front coming into the area will bring very warm and windy conditions. That, coupled with the extreme drought in most of the region, could easily cause any fire to rapidly spread.

“The reason we’re seeing these conditions… is that things are really dry,” Callihan said. “We haven’t seen rain in a long time. It’s been hot, so that’s allowed fuels to cure pretty well.”

About 1.8 million acres have already burned in Oregon this wildfire season, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. The Columbia River Gorge and the east side of the Cascades are in particular danger during this red flag warning, Callihan said.

More than 25,000 Oregonians are under some kind of evacuation orders. Some of the largest evacuation areas are in Crook and Wheeler counties in Central Oregon, and in the southeastern part of the state in Harney and Malheur counties.

Going into the weekend, however, some evacuation levels have decreased. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has reduced evacuation levels for the Akawa Butte Fire near Sisters, and the Red Cross shelter at Sisters High School has closed.

Last week, it was the No. 1 priority wildfire in the nation, but a team of more than 1,200 firefighters have increased containment to 62% as of Saturday.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/01/oregon-red-flag-warning-weekend/