It's Tuesday and a reminder that each of you are AWESOME! Thursday will be the last day of hot high temperatures, then (finally!) we'll start to cool to within 0-4° of our normal high of 84°. How long will the relatively cooler temps last? From what I see right now, another heatwave is less likely from this Friday (Aug 9) through possibly the end of the month (but may change since accuracy significantly drops after 5-7 days out).

FIRE INFO: NO NEED TO PANIC! At this time, NONE of the regional fires pose a threat to Cottage Grove. To put things into perspective, yes, the fire danger is high to extreme, and, under the right conditions, a fire could become fast moving (like what happened with the fires in 2020). HOWEVER, the right condition for a fast moving fire would be a moderate to strong persistent wind (especially blowing from east to west). Strong winds blowing from east to west over the Cascades and foothills rapidly dry out vegetation during our dry months. As the overall pattern looks now, I don't see a period of this kind of wind happening over the next couple of weeks. Compared to the fires of 2020, we're in different times now in that the power lines are in much better shape and surrounding brush has been cleared. Also, if a strong wind like what occurred in 2020 is forecast, the power companies will now de-energize the line. Of course, fires can be caused by other things like lightning, arson, irresponsible camp fires, etc. So yes, take a deep breath and put things into perspective. Cottage Grove IS NOT going to burn down.