After a couple of rainy days swept through western Oregon, the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center canceled its regional Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory on Thursday, Sept. 3, a sign that the risk for extreme wildfires has lowered, at least for now. 

“This system has certainly taken the edge off fire danger,” said Jon Bonk, Northwest Interagency Coordination Center meteorologist, but he said he also is looking at forecast models that show potential for warming and drying conditions in the coming weeks.

“That is very much a crystal ball time range to look at with significant uncertainty and opportunity for the forecast to evolve or change,” he said.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center serves as the focal point for interagency cooperation between state and federal agencies involved in wildland fire management and suppression in the region. 

Eugene saw virtually no rain during July and August, with the last significant rainfall being recorded June 25, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration records. 

By that time, most of the state was facing extreme drought, leaving forests arid and primed for ignition.

Tuesday, 0.41 inches of rain dropped at Eugene Airport.

“This rain could be the start of the end of this devastating fire season,” said Larry O’Neill, state climatologist for Oregon, following a record-breaking 2.5 million acres burned this year, particularly fueled by fires in central and eastern Oregon.

Most recently in Lane County, the Deep Creek Fire ignited Tuesday and has burned 60 acres in the Fall Creek area in the Willamette National Forest. The rain “moderated fire activity and minimized growth,” according to a U.S. Forest Service announcement. The fire still remains 0% contained as crews continue to work.

And the ignitions may not be over with a few weeks of summer left.

“One downpour is not going to do anything to dry big logs, but it means that the finer fuels are wetted down more [so] it’s just going to be a lot less flammable, ” O’Neill said. “The biggest thing is ignition. You should always be practicing fire safety through October everywhere unless we have like 5 inches of rain.”