Red Flag Fire Warnings Active Today Across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Parts of California and Nevada

If you’re in parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, northern California or northern Nevada today, take note: conditions could allow any new fire to spread rapidly. Red flag fire weather warnings are in effect Saturday, August 22, 2026, across at least seven separate zones in parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, northern California and northern Nevada, according to the National Weather Service’s active-alerts feed. This isn’t one warning for one fire — it’s a cluster of separate Red Flag Warnings issued by NWS offices in Medford, Pendleton, Boise, Seattle, Spokane, Pocatello and Reno, each covering a different stretch of the region.

A red flag warning means the National Weather Service expects warm temperatures, very low humidity and stronger winds to combine and significantly raise the danger that any fire that starts will spread fast.

Key facts

Red flag warnings are in effect Saturday, August 22, 2026, across at least seven NWS zones in parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, northern California and northern Nevada.
The warnings come from seven separate NWS offices: Medford, Pendleton, Boise, Seattle, Spokane, Pocatello and Reno.
Washington’s Sinlahekin Fire has burned roughly 154,000 acres and was about 47% contained as of August 21.
The Kaiser Canyon Fire reached about 138,000 acres and was roughly 86% contained as of August 19.
Fires near Spokane destroyed more than 700 structures and forced roughly 60,000 people to evacuate; no deaths were reported.
Idaho’s Tartar Fire burned about 158,000 acres, roughly 98% contained, one of about 19 wildfires covering 178,704 acres statewide.
Washington’s statewide burn ban runs through September 30.

Timeline

July 16: Lightning sparks the Kaiser Canyon Fire in Okanogan County, Washington.
July 26: The Sinlahekin Fire starts in Okanogan County, Washington.
August 1: Washington’s governor declares a statewide wildfire state of emergency and burn ban; the Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview fires break out near Spokane; the National Weather Service issues its first-ever “Particularly Dangerous Situation” designation for Washington and a separate PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation’) designation for parts of Oregon.
August 6: Fire danger in Oregon’s Lake and Klamath Counties is raised to “extreme.”
August 7: Washington’s governor declares a public health emergency over wildfire smoke.
August 13: Red flag warnings flag lightning and wind risk for fire crews in eastern Oregon and Idaho.
August 19: The Kaiser Canyon Fire reaches about 138,000 acres, roughly 86% contained.
August 21: The Sinlahekin Fire reaches roughly 154,000 acres, about 47% contained.
August 22: Red flag warnings are active across at least seven zones in parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, northern California and northern Nevada.

The backdrop: an already severe Washington fire season

Today’s warnings land on top of a wildfire season Washington’s governor has already called an emergency. Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire state of emergency around August 1 and issued a statewide outdoor and agricultural burn ban that runs through September 30. He also declared a public health emergency over wildfire smoke on August 7, has announced a federal emergency declaration for the state’s wildfires, and has mobilized about 110 Washington National Guard members to fire lines — the state’s first wildfire mobilization of the Guard since 2021.

Two of the state’s largest fires are still burning in Okanogan County. The Sinlahekin Fire started July 26 and had burned roughly 154,000 acres, about 47% contained as of August 21. The nearby Kaiser Canyon Fire, sparked by lightning on July 16, had reached about 138,000 acres and was roughly 86% contained as of August 19.

Separately, a cluster of fires that broke out near Spokane around August 1 — the Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview fires — destroyed more than 700 structures and forced roughly 60,000 people to evacuate earlier in August; the available reporting here does not confirm an evacuation order tied specifically to today’s warnings on August 22. No deaths were reported from those fires. Washington is one of the states under today’s red flag warnings, and the Sinlahekin, Kaiser Canyon and Spokane-area fires are all within it, though it’s not established that today’s conditions are affecting those specific, already-burning fires.

Today’s cluster of warnings isn’t an isolated spike, either: red flag conditions have recurred repeatedly across Oregon, Washington and Idaho through August, including as recently as August 13, when forecasters flagged lightning and wind risk for fire crews in eastern Oregon and Idaho.

What’s driving today’s warnings

The trigger varies by state and zone:

Idaho

Eastern Idaho (Upper Snake River Valley, Sawtooth Range, Middle Snake River Valley): 3:17 a.m.–9 p.m. Mountain time. Scattered thunderstorms, frequent lightning, gusty and erratic winds up to 60 mph.
Southwest Idaho: noon–midnight Mountain time. Abundant lightning and outflow gusts — the sudden, strong winds a thunderstorm pushes out ahead of itself — up to 50 mph.
Idaho Panhandle and Selkirk Mountains: the latest-expiring zone of the day, running until 11 a.m. Sunday.

Idaho has its own active fire season running alongside today’s warnings: the Tartar Fire near Weiser had burned about 158,000 acres and was roughly 98% contained by mid-August, one of roughly 19 wildfires burning a combined 178,704 acres statewide.

Washington

Eastern Washington (Cascades, northeast Washington, Columbia Basin, Palouse): a strong cold front bringing thunderstorms and gusts to 35 mph, with humidity down to 17-25%. Runs to roughly 10 p.m. today; the mountain zones extend into Sunday.

Oregon

Klamath Basin and the Fremont-Winema National Forest: 2 p.m.–9 p.m. Southwest winds 15-20 mph gusting to 30 mph, humidity 12-15%.
Southeast Oregon (Burns BLM, Steens Mountain, Southern Grasslands): 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Southwest winds 15-25 mph gusting to 35 mph, humidity 10-15%.
Northeast Oregon canyons near Wallowa County: noon–10 p.m., with a lightning threat in the Blue Mountains through 11 p.m. Westerly winds 10-25 mph gusting 25-40 mph, humidity 10-25%.

Fire danger in Lake and Klamath Counties, where some of today’s warnings apply, was raised to “extreme” on August 6, prompting Stage 2 public-use restrictions on the Fremont-Winema National Forest, the BLM’s Lakeview District, the Sheldon-Hart Mountain and Klamath Basin refuges, and Crater Lake National Park.

California and Nevada

Siskiyou and Modoc Counties, California: 2 p.m.–9 p.m. Gusts to 30 mph, humidity 10-15%.
Surprise Valley, Eastern Lassen, Northern Sierra Front and Northern Washoe County, straddling the California-Nevada line: 1:05 a.m.–11 p.m. Southwest winds 15-25 mph gusting to 40 mph, humidity as low as 12%. The official August 22 active-warning list did not include Southern California zones.

No new “Particularly Dangerous Situation” designation today

Today’s warnings are the standard tier, not the rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” designation the National Weather Service gave Washington and Oregon on August 1 — the first time the agency had ever used that higher-severity label for wildfire danger in Washington, citing winds gusting to about 40 mph and humidity as low as 15%.

What to do if you’re in a warned area

The standard guidance during a red flag warning is to avoid anything that could spark a fire — outdoor burning, equipment that throws sparks, a discarded cigarette — and to be ready to evacuate if you’re in a high-risk area. In Washington, that guidance is now a rule: the statewide burn ban formally prohibits outdoor and agricultural burning through September 30. For real-time, location-specific warning status, the National Weather Service’s website and your local NWS forecast office are the places to check, since which counties are covered can change from day to day.