Fire crews around the Inland Northwest are on high alert on Thursday and Friday as wind speeds increase with a passing cold front. The combination of hot, dry and windy weather increases fire danger dramatically. The dry front will produce some cloud cover but temperatures will only cool by a few degrees, keeping afternoon high temperatures in the 80s over the weekend and possibly pointing to 90s by early next week. July has remained well below average on precipitation levels for 2020. Higher precipitation levels can help delay the start of fire season or in some cases lessen the impact of it. When winds pick up amid dry conditions, a fire that starts can rapidly spread. Thursday afternoon and evening look to be the main concern with 20 to 30 mph gusts through eastern Washington and upwards of 30 mph gusts across the lower Columbia Basin and across the central Washington valleys.