Red Flag Warning Issued for Renton This Weekend

Written by Lisa Baumann

The National Weather Service Seattle has issued a Red Flag Warning for scattered lightning in Renton and much of western Washington from 6 p.m. Friday evening through 11 p.m. Sunday.

Thunderstorms are expected to develop, with the potential for lightning that could cause multiple fire starts, over the Cascades and Eastern Olympic mountains each afternoon and evening beginning Friday, Aug. 9. Some of storms and lightning could move into the Puget Sound area and southwest interior lowlands as well, the NWS said. This includes areas in King and Pierce counties that are east of I-5 and below 1500 feet in elevation.

Watch for gusty and erratic winds with any thunderstorm, and the NWS notes that the strongest winds are typically at the leading edge of a storm.

From the NWS:

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. SCATTERED LIGHTNING IN DRY FUELS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO MULTIPLE FIRE STARTS...ALONG WITH ERRATIC AND GUSTY WINDS. FIREFIGHTING AGENCIES WILL WANT TO PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

In Renton, the forecast for Saturday is a 30 percent chance of showers, mostly cloudy with a high near 79 degrees. Evening temps drop to around 60 degrees with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight.