Wildfire in Oregon, October 11 to 12, 2002

Name: Wildfire in Oregon, October 11 to 12, 2002
Start: 2002-10-11T07:00
End: 2002-10-12T14:50
Location: Oregon

October 11 to 12, 2002 · NWS MFR · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A Red Flag Warning was issued at the above times. The warning was for strong ridgetop winds and poor relative humidity recoveries in fire weather zones 617/618/619/620/621/622/623.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: 6

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 at the above times. The warning was for strong ridgetop winds and poor relative humidity recoveries in fire weather zones 617/618/619/620/621/622/623. These zones include all or part of the above counties. Unfortunately, no verifying data was available for this warning.

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 Oct 11, 2:16 AM PST, 4 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 11, 2:16 AM PST, 4 hours 44 minutes before

SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 AM PDT FRI OCT 11 2002

WITH THE AREA FIRMLY UNDER THE GRIP OF A REX BLOCK REGION REMAINS DRY
THROUGH ENTIRE FORECAST IN OFSHORE FLOW. MAIN CONCERN WILL BE DRY
GUSTY RIDGETOP WINDS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. WITH AIR CIRCULATING
INTO REGION FROM GREAT BASIN...COMBINED WITH CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT
SFC WINDS...RADIATIONAL COOLING WILL DROP TEMPERATURES INTO THE TEENS
IN ISOLATED LOCATIONS EAST OF THE CASCAEDS TONIGHT AND POSSIBLY INTO
TOMORROW NIGHT. INLAND VALLEYS WEST OF THE CASCADES WILL SEE AREAS OF
WIDESPREAD FROST TONIGHT. REX BLOCK PATTERN BREAK DOWN AS LOW BENEATH
SLIPS TO THE EAST TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...WITH RIDGE
BREAKING DOWN NEXT WEEKEND.

.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CAPE ARAGO OR TO POINT ST GEORGE CA 20 TO
        60 NM FROM SHORE.
       FROST WARNING OR ZONES 23-26 AND CA ZONE 80 FOR TONIGHT.

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 11, 5:30 AM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-120130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
630 AM PDT FRI OCT 11 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

LIGHT NORTHEAST WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL RESULT IN A RED FLAG
WARNING TONIGHT OVER THE RIDGES CASCADES WESTWARD. REFER TO
PDXRFWMFR FOR MORE INFROMATION.
FROST WARNING TONIGHT. REFER TO PDXNPWMFR FOR MORE INFORMATION.

.INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

RED FLAG WARNING CONTINUES EARLY SATURDAY. REFER TO PDXRFWMFR FOR
MORE INFORMATION.
SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED
AT THIS TIME.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Jackson

When: October 11, 7:00 AM PST to October 12, 2:50 PM PST
Where: Jackson County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.432, -122.728 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Wildfire, Josephine

When: October 11, 7:00 AM PST to October 12, 2:50 PM PST
Where: Josephine County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.366, -123.556 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Wildfire, Curry

When: October 11, 7:00 AM PST to October 12, 2:50 PM PST
Where: Curry County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.467, -124.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Wildfire, Coos

When: October 11, 7:00 AM PST to October 12, 2:50 PM PST
Where: Coos County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.185, -124.093 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Wildfire, Douglas

When: October 11, 7:00 AM PST to October 12, 2:50 PM PST
Where: Douglas County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.285, -123.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wildfire, Klamath

When: October 11, 7:00 AM PST to October 12, 2:50 PM PST
Where: Klamath County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.686, -121.650 (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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oregon in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, October 2002

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: 5319867, 5319868, 5319869, 5319870, 5319871, 5319872.