MEDFORD, Ore. – Significant winds have made it incredibly hard for first responders to fight the several wildfires in our region. The National Weather Service said the Valley saw the strongest of the winds on Tuesday.
Some of those gusts were roughly 40 to 55 miles per hour. Wednesday, gusts were calmer ariund 20 to 35 miles per hour.
According to the emergency coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Ryan Sandler, these types of winds only happen every 5 to 10 years. “The worst is over but its still bad. We’re still seeing temperatures well above normal, low humidities and the fuels of course remain dry because we’re not getting any rain very soon,” said Sandler.
He said air humidity was down to 6 percent Wednesday, which is even dryer than it was the day before. The combination of the record dryness combined with drought and dry fuels, have made this specific windstorm historic according to Sandler.
He did say that the winds won’t be as strong this weekend, but that the Valley’s dry pattern will continue.
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