Wildfire, Owyhee
- When
- July 31, 2:30 PM MST to 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Owyhee County, 25 mi SE of Bruneau
- Coordinates
- 42.582, -116.170 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire and Damaging Wind in Idaho, July 31, 1997
During the afternoon of July 31st a thunderstorm formed over the Owyhee Mountains of southwest Idaho and moved into the Boise area. lightening from this storm triggered a 530 acre range fire in Owyhee County and sparked a fire which burned a house down east of Boise.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS BOI wrote it up.
During the afternoon of July 31st a thunderstorm formed over the Owyhee Mountains of southwest Idaho and moved into the Boise area. lightening from this storm triggered a 530 acre range fire in Owyhee County and sparked a fire which burned a house down east of Boise. Winds from this storm peeled off shingles and damaged siding on a house in southeast Boise, and short circuited an electric sign causing a fire which damaged a restaurant in Boise.
The radar
The Boise radar (KCBX), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:21 UTC.
Event by event
1 wildfire, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Ada
- When
- July 31, 4:20 PM MST
- Where
- Ada County, Boise
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.620, -116.220
Lightning, Ada
- When
- July 31, 4:40 PM MST
- Where
- Ada County, 5 mi E of Boise
- Coordinates
- 43.451, -116.241 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Wildfire
- A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Texas, July 31, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, July 31, 1997
- Flash Flooding in Nebraska, July 31, 1997
- Waterspout in Florida, July 31, 1997
- High Surf in Hawaii, July 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, July 31, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, July 31, 1997
- Cold in Georgia, July 31, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Puerto Rico, July 31, 1997
- Flood in Puerto Rico, July 31, 1997
- Hail in Florida, July 31, 1997
- Flash Flood in Colorado, July 31, 1997
More
Every storm in Idaho in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, July 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5610098, 5610099, 5610100.