Washington, 1999

Wildfire and Dust Storm in Washington, September 25, 1999

September 25, 1999 · NWS OTX · 10 events in 9 counties and zones

8 high wind, 1 wildfire, 1 dust storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
4
Property damage
$120,000
Crop damage
$40,000
Events
10

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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high wind, 1 wildfire, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Ne Lincoln/Spokane X Extreme N Part

When
September 25, 7:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Ne Lincoln/Spokane X Extreme N Part forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.599, -117.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Stevens/Pend Oreille/X N Spokane

When
September 25, 7:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Stevens/Pend Oreille/X N Spokane forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.184, -117.511 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, E Chelan/Extreme W Douglas

When
September 25, 7:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
E Chelan/Extreme W Douglas forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
$40,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.802, -120.155 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Douglas X Extreme W&n Parts/Nw Grant

When
September 25, 7:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Douglas X Extreme W&n Parts/Nw Grant forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.471, -119.572 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wildfire, Stevens

When
September 25, 7:00 AM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where
Stevens County, Wellpinit
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
48.399, -117.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A wildfire engulfed 3000 acres before being contained on the Spokane Indian Reservation. The strong winds during the day helped spread the fire.

High Wind, S Garfield/Sw Asotin

When
September 25, 7:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
S Garfield/Sw Asotin forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
46.312, -117.374 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds of 20 to 40 mph with gusts of 50-70 mph swept across much of Eastern Washington leading to numerous downed trees and power lines. There were many power outages and a few reports of small fires along with damage to vehicles. Apple orchards in the Wenatchee area suffered some damge as a small portion of their crop was blown to the ground.

High Wind, Whitman & Extreme Se Spokane

When
September 25, 7:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Whitman & Extreme Se Spokane forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.261, -117.463 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, S Grant & Sw Adams

When
September 25, 7:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
S Grant & Sw Adams forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.095, -119.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Ne Grant/X Ne Douglas/X Se Oknogan/Lincoln X Ne/Adams X Sw

When
September 25, 7:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Ne Grant/X Ne Douglas/X Se Oknogan/Lincoln X Ne/Adams X Sw forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.610, -119.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dust Storm, S Grant & Sw Adams

When
September 25, 1:00 PM PST to 1:30 PM PST
Where
S Grant & Sw Adams forecast zone
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$60,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
47.095, -119.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low visibilities due to a duststorm lead to a 4 car pile-up 6 miles south of Moses Lake, of which 4 persons received minor injuries. There was another accident due to the duststorm near Ritzville though no injuries were reported.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Wildfire
A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
Dust Storm
Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Washington in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, September 1999

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: 5718940, 5718941, 5718942, 5718943, 5718945, 5719184, 5719185, 5719186, 5719187, 5718944.