Oregon, 2001

Wildfire in Oregon, September 6 to 8, 2001

September 6 to 8, 2001 · NWS MFR · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A Red Flag Warning was issued for fire zones 618 and 619 at 0730 PDT on 09/06/01. These zones include Curry County and the southern end of Coos County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
4

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 was issued for fire zones 618 and 619 at 0730 PDT on 09/06/01. These zones include Curry County and the southern end of Coos County. The warning was extended to fire zone 620 at 14:50 PDT on 09/07/01. This zone includes most of Josephine county and far western Jackson County. The warning was for strong winds and poor over relative humidity recoveries during an offshore flow event. The warning verified well in zone 618 (Red Mound RAWS), but recoveries were higher than expected in zones 619 and 620.

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 Sep 6, 7:30 AM PST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 6, 7:30 AM PST, 0 minutes before
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
830 AM PDT THU SEP 06 2001

TEMPERATURES IN THE EAST SIDE DROPPED INTO THE 20S AT MANY PLACES
THIS MORNING WITH NEW RECORD LOW AT KLAMATH FALLS. MORNING LOWS ON
THE WEST SIDE WERE IN THE LOWER 40S. THERMAL TROUGH IS STILL EXPECTED
TO BUILD NORTH ALONG THE COAST WITH OFFSHORE FLOW TONIGHT. DOWNSLOPE
FLOW OVER SW OREGON WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT WARMING AT BROOKINGS
AND THE AREAS IN THE CHETCO RIVER VALLEY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE EAST
WIND EVENT FOR SW OREGON COAST OVERNIGHT.
FB

.MFR...GALE WARNING...CAPE BLANCO OR-POINT ST. GEORGE CA
    ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...FLORENCE TO CAPE BLANCO.
    ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR EAST WIND TONIGHT ORZ022 AND ORZ024

OTH UU 070/049 070/049 070 080000
4BK UU 088/058 096/058 078 080000
RBG UU 076/048 084/051 089 080000
MFR UU 080/046 088/050 093 080000
LMT UU 072/038 080/042 084 080000
LKV UU 073/038 080/042 084 080000
MHS UU 075/045 083/049 088 080000

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Coos

When
September 6, 7:30 AM PST to September 8, 3:15 PM PST
Where
Coos County, Countywide
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
43.185, -124.093 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Wildfire, Curry

When
September 6, 7:30 AM PST to September 8, 3:15 PM PST
Where
Curry County, Countywide
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
42.467, -124.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Wildfire, Josephine

When
September 7, 2:50 PM PST to September 8, 3:15 PM PST
Where
Josephine County, Countywide
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
42.366, -123.556 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Wildfire, Jackson

When
September 7, 2:50 PM PST to September 8, 3:15 PM PST
Where
Jackson County, Countywide
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
42.432, -122.728 (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, September 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: 5267369, 5267370, 5267371, 5267372.