CLIMATE BREAKDOWN Reports: Lightning bust, phenological chaos…

WILDFIRE 2.0: Lightning bust, phenological chaos & outmoded grazing practices A major lightning event, described as a "large lightning bust", impacted northeast Oregon on Thursday night, July 18, into early Friday morning, July 19, 2026. Sparked by a low-pressure system pulling monsoon moisture northward, it produced a massive number of lightning strikes and ignited numerous wildfires across the parched landscape. A Historic Lightning Outbreak The storm was one of the most significant lightning outbreaks in recent Northwest memory, generating well over 5,000 lightning strokes regionally: Regional Impact: The system brought lightning to several paths, including a broad band across eastern Oregon and Washington, with more than 8,000 strikes recorded across both states within 24 hours. Northeast Oregon Focus: The greatest fire activity was concentrated in southeast Washington and northeast Oregon, where the most lightning occurred. The resulting grass and range fires made this area the clear "hot spot" for new ignitions. Aftermath: Wildfires and Evacuations The lightning strikes ignited dozens of new wildfires in a landscape suffering from moderate to extreme drought: Fires: At least 100 fires were burning across Washington and Oregon by Friday morning, with 140 new fires reported on Wednesday and Thursday alone. Many fires were in grass and range vegetation. Evacuations: The fires prompted evacuation warnings for thousands of people. Approximately 11,000 people were under some level of evacuation order, including about 1,200 people under the most urgent "Go Now" order. Smoke: The fires produced smoke that spread across the Pacific Northwest, with the most unhealthy air over southwestern, central, and northeastern Oregon.