Oregon, 2001

Wildfire in Oregon, August 8 to 9, 2001

August 8 to 9, 2001 · NWS MFR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A Red Flag Warning for dry lightning was issued for the time period listed above for fire weather zones 624/625, which includes almost all of Klamath and Lake Counties east of the Cascades. A major dry lightning bust occurred with over 2200 strikes in the warning area and adjoining counties during the valid time of the warning.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 MFR wrote it up.

A Red Flag Warning for dry lightning was issued for the time period listed above for fire weather zones 624/625, which includes almost all of Klamath and Lake Counties east of the Cascades. A major dry lightning bust occurred with over 2200 strikes in the warning area and adjoining counties during the valid time of the warning. Numerous lightning caused fires were reported within 24 hours, mostly in eastern Klamath and Lake counties. This warning verified very well. No official cancellation statement was issued for this warning, but the last statement expired at 0500 PDT on 08/09/01, so this is assumed to be the time the warning expired.

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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 8, 1:30 PM PST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 8, 1:30 PM PST, 30 minutes before
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 PM PDT WED AUG 08 2001

THE WEATHER IS HOT. 100+ DEGREE TEMPS EXPECTED THIS AFTN AND TMRW
AFTN OVER PORTIONS OF THE FCST AREA AS STRONG HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS
OVER THE REGION. FEATURE OF GREATEST IMMEDIATE CONCERN IS THE UPPER
LEVEL VORT TRACKING UP THE CA COAST. AVN TRACKS THIS FEATURE DIRECTLY
OVER SW OREGON THIS EVENING INTO EARLY THURS. INSTABILITY IS HIGHEST
OVER THE EAST SIDE - WHERE 700-500 VERTICAL VELOCITIES ARE HIGHEST
AND BEST FORCING FROM DEFORMATION EXISTS. CANNOT IGNORE THE
THUNDERSTORM THREAT NEAR THE CENTER OF THE 300MB VORT...WHICH IS FCST
OVER THE WEST SIDE TNGT. FOR THIS REASON WILL ADD SLIGHT CHANCES TO
THE WEST SIDE. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR DRY LIGHTNING HAS ALSO BEEN
EXPANDED TO THE WEST SIDE FOR TNGT. ACTIVITY MAY LINGER OVERNGT...AND
CONTINUE THURS EAST BEFORE EXITING THE E-SIDE THURS EVE.

THERMAL TROUGH LIFTS N AND MOVES INLAND THURS AFTN BUT FCST 850 TEMPS
ARE ACTUALLY SLIGHTLY LESS THAN TDYS FCST VALUES SO EXPECT TEMPS
EQUAL TO SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN TDYS. SLIGHT THUNDERSTORM THREAT SHALL
REMAIN IN TACT FOR THE EAST SIDE IN OREGON FRI-SUN WITH CONTINUED
INSTABILITY AND FORCING FROM WEAK DISTURBANCES EJECTED NEWD FROM THE
WEAK EPAC LOW OFF CA. WILL DRY OUT NCAL STARTING FRI AFTN. MON-WED...
LITTLE CONFIDENCE IN THE EXTENDED MODELS. WILL AGAIN SHOOT WITH THE
MRF ENSEMBLES WHICH INDICATE MAINLY DRY WX WITH A GRADUAL COOLING
TREND AS INCREASING SWLY FLOW DEVELOPS AND HEIGHTS SLOWLY FALL IN
ADVANCE OF DEVELOPING N PAC LOW. STAVISH

.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST GEORGE CA.
       GALE WARNING CAPE BLANCO TO PT ST GEORGE CA 20-60 NM OFFSHORE.
       FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR DRY LIGHTNING ZONES 616-617-619>625.

OTH BB 054/067 055/066 054 090000
4BK BB 056/066 055/065 052 090000
RBG UU 060/096 061/091 059 091000
MFR UU 064/101 062/098 058 091000
LMT BB 053/094 052/093 051 092111
LKV BB 057/093 049/090 047 093211
MHS BB 056/097 052/093 052 092110

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Klamath

When
August 8, 2:00 PM PST to August 9, 5:00 AM PST
Where
Klamath County, Countywide
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
42.686, -121.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Wildfire, Lake

When
August 8, 2:00 PM PST to August 9, 5:00 AM PST
Where
Lake County, Countywide
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
42.793, -120.387 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

What these are

Wildfire
A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oregon in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, 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: 5257544, 5257545.