Damaging Winds in Idaho, August 12, 2001

Name: Damaging Winds in Idaho, August 12, 2001
Start: 2001-08-12T21:00
End: 2001-08-12T22:30
Location: Idaho

August 12, 2001 · NWS MSO · 3 events in 1 county or zone

Strong thunderstorm moved through Orofino, Dent, and later Kooskia, Idaho, producing high winds and damage. Tree limbs were broken and three fires were started from lightning strikes near Orofino.

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

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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 MSO wrote it up.

Strong thunderstorm moved through Orofino, Dent, and later Kooskia, Idaho, producing high winds and damage. Tree limbs were broken and three fires were started from lightning strikes near Orofino. Boats were damaged at Big Eddy Marina docks located on Dworshak Reservoir.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 12, 7:06 PM PST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 12, 7:06 PM PST, 1 hour 54 minutes before

WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
906 PM MDT SUN AUG 12 2001

WILL UPDATE ZONES FOR CONVECTIVE TRENDS THIS EVENING. TEMPERATURES
SIZZLED ACROSS THE CWA TODAY AS READINGS PUSHED OVER THE CENTURY MARK
IN NORTHWEST MT AND CENTRAL ID...WITH A MAX OF 112 DEGREES RECORDED
IN HELLS CANYON. A FEW RAWS STATIONS IN ID WERE SHOWING 60 DEGREE
TEMP/DEWPT SPREADS THIS AFTERNOON. HAD A GUST TO 50 MPH IN LEMHI
COUNTY BUT CONVECTIVE TRENDS ARE ON THE DECREASE AS THE SUN SETS. A
WEAK SHORTWAVE LEFTOVER FROM YESTERDAYS ACTIVITY ACROSS NV IS THE
REASON FOR ISOLATED CONVECTION OVER ID THIS EVENING BUT THE LIGHTNING
STRIKES HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT LIMITED. THE MAIN VORT LOBE IS SWINGING
OUT ACROSS SOUTHEAST OR AND WESTERN NV. THIS FEATURE WILL REGENERATE
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY LATE TONIGHT AS IT MOVES NORTH TOWARD
WEST CENTRAL ID BY 12Z. THE AIR MASS REMAINS UNSTABLE WITH -2 TO -4
LI AND 700 J/KM CAPE ACROSS ID AND WESTERN MT AHEAD OF THE
APPROACHING DYNAMICS. SOME GUSTY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT
WITH ANY STORMS AS MOISTURE REMAINS SPARSE. LIGHTNING POTENTIAL DOES
NOT SEEM WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO CONTINUE RED FLAGS TONIGHT AFTER
CURRENT CELLS DIMINISH IN FIRE WX ZONE 102. REMNANT CONVECTION AND
VORT LOBE WILL BE FOCUS FOR STORMS OVER NORTHWEST MT FOR MONDAY
AFTERNOON. WARMER TEMPS OVERNIGHT DUE TO CLOUD COVER...THEN COOLER
HIGHS EXPECTED FOR MONDAY.   BOLDT

.MSO...FIRE WEATHER WATCH MONDAY ALL FIRE WEATHER ZONES 102 THRU 111

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clearwater

When: August 12, 9:00 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: Clearwater County, Orofino
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.674, -115.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Clearwater

When: August 12, 9:13 PM PST to 10:13 PM PST
Where: Clearwater County, Dent
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.617, -116.217

Thunderstorm Wind, Clearwater

When: August 12, 9:30 PM PST to 10:30 PM PST
Where: Clearwater County, 10 mi N of Orofino
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.674, -115.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Idaho in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, August 2001

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: 5261808, 5261810, 5261809.