Wildfire in Oregon, October 5 to 9, 2002

Name: Wildfire in Oregon, October 5 to 9, 2002
Start: 2002-10-05T07:00
End: 2002-10-09T08:00
Location: Oregon

October 5 to 9, 2002 · NWS MFR · 3 events in 3 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 618/619.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 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 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 618/619. 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 5, 1:30 AM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 5, 1:30 AM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes before

SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 AM PDT SAT OCT 05 2002

MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST AROUND THURSDAY. IN
THE SHORT TERM...STILL PESKY LOW CLOUD LAYER ACROSS THE WEST SIDE
WITH SOME HIGH CLOUDS ON TOP. CLOUDS WILL DIMINISH TODAY WITH THE
MOST CLOUD COVER NEAR THE COOS COUNTY COAST AS ONSHORE FLOW GRADUALLY
TURNS OFFSHORE THIS AFTERNOON. OFFSHORE FLOW DOMINATES TONIGHT WITH
FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS FOR CURRY COUNTY RIDGES DUE TO DRY OFFSHORE
FLOW.

THE UPPER HIGH IS IN CONTROL SUNDAY INTO MONDAY WITH MAINLY CLEAR
SKIES AND NICE FALL WEATHER. ON TUESDAY A SYSTEM BRUSHES BY TO OUR
NORTH SO COOLER TEMPERATURES EXPECTED AND MORE CLOUDS ESPECIALLY IN
THE NORTH. A MORE ZONAL FLOW WEDNESDAY WITH THE MOST CLOUD COVER
ALONG THE COOS COUNTY COAST...OTHERWISE PARTLY CLOUDY WITH SEASONABLE
TEMPERATURES.

FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY THERE IS DISAGREEMENT AMONG THE MODELS.
APPEARS THAT A STRONG UPPER TROUGH PASSAGE WILL OCCUR THURSDAY OR
THURSDAY NIGHT. WILL INCREASE THE CLOUD COVER THURSDAY AND KEEP
CURRENT POPS FOR LATE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.
SANDLER

.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE TO CAPE BLANCO 0-60NM
       SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CAPE BLANCO TO PT. ST. GEORGE 0-20NM
       GALE WARNING CAPE BLANCO TO PT. ST. GEORGE 20-60NM

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 5, 5:40 AM PST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-060130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
640 AM PDT SAT OCT 05 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A DEVELOPING THERMAL TROUGH WILL CAUSE INCREASING NORTHEAST TO
NORTH WINDS OVER THE COASTAL MOUNTAINS AND WATERS OF SOUTHWEST
OREGON. THEREFORE A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
TONIGHT...REFER TO PDXRFWMFR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FROM POINT ST. GEORGE TO CAPE
BLANCO...REFER TO PDXCWFMFR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS...

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

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THE THERMAL TROUGH WILL STRENGTHEN THROUGH MONDAY CONTINUING THE RED
FLAG WARNING THROUGH MONDAY. THERE WILL BE A GALE WARNING THROUGH
SUNDAY NIGHT FOR THE SOUTHERN OREGON COASTAL WATERS...REFER TO
PDXCWFMFR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Josephine

When: October 5, 7:00 AM PST to October 9, 8:00 AM 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 5, 7:00 AM PST to October 9, 8:00 AM 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 5, 7:00 AM PST to October 9, 8:00 AM 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.

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: 5319873, 5319874, 5319875.