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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Man allegedly used mirror to look up shopper's skirt ... 2 Hermiston high school coaches killed in shooting, teen found dead ... Group pushes for LNG pipeline in ads ... Man allegedly used mirror to look up shopper's skirt ... 2 Hermiston high school coaches killed in shooting, teen found dead ... Group pushes for LNG pipeline in ads ... EXTREME WEATHER Weather service warns of prime fire conditions tonight Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Aug. 18, 2016 at 2:41 PM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Aug. 18, 2016 at 2:41 PM » Social News Triple-digit heat, stiff winds and plunging nighttime humidity has firefighters and meteorologists bracing for increased potential wildfire activity at high elevations around Southern Oregon. The National Weather Service has issued a red-flag warning for high-elevation areas of the South Cascades and Siskiyous tonight through 9 a.m. Friday as east winds of up to 30 mph and humidity at or below 25 percent are expected, particularly around mountain ridges. Those factors, along with nighttime lows falling just to the high 60s and low 70s in the mountains, create prime fire-ignition and burning conditions, says Brian Ballou, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry in Central Point. "We're headed into crunch time right now," Ballou says. "Mid-August temperatures in the 100s, hot winds, low humidity. About the only thing we're not expecting right now is lightning." Weather service meteorologist Mike Petrucelli says the red-flag warning, which was issued this afternoon and set to begin at 8 p.m., is a caution to firefighting agencies that these conditions likely will contribute to significant spread of existing fires and create opportunities for new human-caused fires to erupt. The warning comes because of the forecast of east winds of 10 mph to 20 mph with gusts of up to 30 mph and relative humidity levels at or below 25 percent, Petrucelli says. Those are thresholds that led to the red-flag warning, he says. As of early this afternoon, state forestry crews were not actively battling any wildfires but 10-person crews were on standby in Central Point and Grants Pass amid extreme fire-danger status, Ballou says. "We're getting peppered with something almost every day," Ballou says. "The fires are starting easier and moving faster. "We feel sort of lucky that we haven't had something terribly out of hand," he says. The district's largest fire came last Friday afternoon in Selma, where an out-of-control and illegal transient camp fire quickly spread to 50 acres and burned three homes as well as at least five outbuildings, according to ODF. "That's the kind of fire we can get every day at this time of year," Ballou says. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Aug. 18, 2016 at 2:41 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501