August 9, 2019 4:10 a.m.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect from late Friday morning until early Saturday evening for Douglas County and a wide area of southern Oregon.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Medford said a strong system for this time of year is moving up from the south on Friday and could bring frequent lightning on dry fuels through Friday evening. The risk of thunderstorms could continue through Saturday evening, though these should produce significant rainfall.
The special statement from forecasters said that abundant lightning on dry fuels may produce numerous new starts that pose a threat to life and property, and may overwhelm initial attack capabilities. However, wetting rainfall may occur under cores of thunderstorms.
The Red Flag Warning means critical fire weather conditions are expected to occur. The warning is in place from 11:00 a.m. on Friday through 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.