Harney County Emergency Management

04/09/2026

Stay safe and up-to-date!

We’re getting close to Festival Weekend! Here are a few last-minute tips for your time in Harney County.

⭐Harney Nights: Thursday, April 16, enjoy “Harney Nights” downtown! Businesses stay open late, and several pop up in Arrowhead Park next to US Bank. Mingle with locals and soak in the city center vibe!

⭐Tours: Check in at Bird Central (Geno’s Youth Center) 15 minutes before your Friday-Sunday tours. Harney Basin Wetlands Restoration tour on Thursday, April 16, checks in at the Harney County Community Center.

⭐Workshops: Check in 15 minutes early at Bird Central to get headed to your classroom.

⭐Bird Crawl Passports: Pick up at Bird Central starting Friday 5 a.m. If arriving Thursday, grab yours at Harney County Community Center (484 N Broadway) before 5 p.m.

⭐Check-ins: Trivia Night, Deep Dive: Owls, and All Aflutter do not require check-in. Wetlands Happy Hour, Bird’s The Word Poetry Night, and all tours and workshops do. Check in at Bird Central or the door.

⭐Registration: Closes Tuesday, April 14. Add tours, activities, or boxed lunches as soon as possible. Waiting lists are moving, so stay tuned. You might be next!

⭐Safety:
- NO PARKING OR STANDING IN ROADWAYS. BIRD FROM THE CURB.
- Drive cautiously. Use hazard lights if slow and stay right. Pull over completely to stop when possible.
- Use turnouts whenever possible. Watch traffic and other birders.
- Headlights on and seatbelts fastened at all times.

⭐ Festival Alerts: Stay informed via Everbridge. Text BIRDFEST to 888-777 for schedule updates and safety alerts. Yes, the graphic is from AI because my brain is at creative capacity!

⭐ Parking: Please be courteous. Our venue is in a neighborhood. Respect closed areas and park head-in or back-in to maximize space.

Thank you for choosing Harney County! See you VERY soon!

Harney County Emergency Management

04/09/2026

Things might get a little spicy around here this weekend!

Good mernin and happy Thursday you exceptional little biscuits 🍪

We’ve got a slow moving storm system parked off the coast of northern California, and it’s gonna start feeding moisture into the region over the next several days.

Today 👀

Scattered showers and thunderstorms develop this afternoon and evening

Best chances: central Oregon and far southern zones (Harney, Malheur, Owyhee, and Twin Falls County)

Treasure Valley, Magic Valley, and northeast Oregon mountains may just see extra clouds

👉 Most of us stay quiet today, the real action holds off until tomorrow

Friday 🔄

A shortwave rotates in from the south and things ramp up:

Showers and storms spread across the region
Most numerous early in eastern Oregon
By afternoon/evening, storms redevelop with daytime heating

Storms fire first over:

Steens Mountains
Owyhee Mountains

Then push north through the evening.

Strongest storms could bring:

Gusty winds 🌬️
Lightning ⚡
Brief heavy downpours 🌧️
Small hail

Saturday → Monday ⛈️

Active stretch continues

Repeated rounds of scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms
Activity redevelops each afternoon with daytime heating
Storm system slowly occludes and moves overhead Sunday into Monday

👉 Translation: unsettled, hit or miss, and occasionally spicy

Looking ahead 📅

Late Monday into Tuesday: brief break, drier
Wednesday: next storm system rolls in
Pattern stays active

Temps 🌡️

Today & Friday: 70s valleys, near 60 mountains

Saturday: ~5° cooler

Sunday & Monday: much colder

40s–50s valleys
30s–40s mountains 🥶

Tuesday: near 60

Wednesday+: mid 60s and steady

Bottom line:

We’ve got multiple rounds of showers and storms Friday through Monday, cooler temps, and plenty of moving parts.

I’ll be doing:

Morning forecast updates ☀️
Nowcasting throughout the day ⛈️

So check in often and I’ll keep you posted so there are no surprises 👍

What do you call an elephant the circus no longer needs?

Irrelephant. 😂🤣🥴😎😂🤣 - I'll throw myself out k thanks bye.

04/07/2026

Things are extra dry this year! I know it seems wild after flooding last year, yet here we are. Please use EXTREME caution when burning. Check the weather and if you're in town, grab that burn permit. Let's work together to make better choices and keep our county safe!

Hi, Oregon.

We're expecting some of the warmest temperatures of the year so far across the state this weekend. The Oregon fire service has been very busy responding to human-caused outdoor fires this spring.

Debris burning? Check and follow your local regulations. We'd prefer you chip, compost, or recycle.

Did you burn debris over the last few weeks? Check on the site again and make sure it is out-out and won't reignite.

Be smart, do your part, and prevent human-caused wildfires.

03/31/2026

Text "𝐇𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐒" to 888-777 to instantly sign-up for emergency alerts in Harney County! *the text is NOT case sensitive*

03/26/2026

𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥!

Text "HCALERTS" to 888-777 to instantly sign-up for emergency alerts in Harney County! *the text is NOT case sensitive*

03/24/2026

Now is the perfect time to create some defensible space around your home and property!

It's that time of year where many of us have yardwork on the brain. It is also a good time to tackle some of those defensible space projects to improve your homes chance of surviving a wildfire. One good project: clean leaves and pine needles from your roof and gutters.

Do you need some help figuring out where to start? We offer FREE defensible space assessments. You can learn more here: https://www.oregon.gov/osfm/wildfire/Pages/defensiblespace.aspx

03/11/2026

Don't forget to check out our new sign-up! We've had a LOT of folks signing up since this went out! AWESOME JOB EVERYONE!!! It's so easy, why wouldn't you?

NEW! Text "𝐇𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐒" to 888-777 and instantly enroll in Harney County Emergency Alerts via text message! It couldn't be any easier! Tell your friends!

PS - the system isn't case sensitive!

03/09/2026

We are seeking your input for our Energy Resilience Plan! Fill out this quick survey here: https://forms.gle/z6CwjbW46kuCXN2G6

02/26/2026

NEW! Text "𝐇𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐒" to 888-777 and instantly enroll in Harney County Emergency Alerts via text message! It couldn't be any easier! Tell your friends!

PS - the system isn't case sensitive!

02/24/2026

If you can, please fill out this quick survey!

We are seeking your input for our Energy Resilience Plan! Fill out this quick survey here: https://forms.gle/z6CwjbW46kuCXN2G6

02/23/2026

The Harney County 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 is moving right along! The Risk Assessment has been completed by the steering committee and we would love public input! Feel free to spread the word!

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://dlcd.app.box.com/s/jbnsp0pmfox3mgj7ttrzd41xex9ojmmx
𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://bit.ly/4rwlzrZ