The dry spring and absurdly hot week in late June jump-started the 2021 fire season. We have had decent local sky clarity until now, but an approaching storm from the SW has pulled an amber blanket over us. It's fairly thin and up high so no smell of smoke, but not a pretty sight. Thunderstorms will no doubt accompany the welcome rain this weekend, so we must wait and see the costs and benefits of the storm. Looks like Roseburg is finding out right as this image was taken!
It's clearly worse on the east side of Oregon, as the Dixie fire in northern Cal has just swallowed a small town* and found other adjacent fuels for a major flare-up. The Bootleg fire down by Paisley is still the country's largest but it is getting under better control.
Among other summer casualties, the 2021 Oregon Star Party had its permit pulled by the Ochoco NF - just too risky this year to gather a bunch of people in such a flammable environment. That's happening more frequently over the years, and whatever the human climate impacts may be it's becoming clearer that August isn't ideal for scheduling large gatherings on public land. Either the location or the timing will need to be seriously examined for the 2022 event, it seems.
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