Oregon, 2002

Wildfire in Oregon, September 23 to 26, 2002

September 23 to 26, 2002 · NWS MFR · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A Red Flag warning effective 09/23-26/02 was issued for fire weather zones 618/619 for gusty ridgetop winds and poor relative humidity recoveries during an offshore wind event. The warning area included all but the southeast portion of Curry county as well as small parts of Coos (extreme south) and Josephine (extreme west) counties.

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 effective 09/23-26/02 was issued for fire weather zones 618/619 for gusty ridgetop winds and poor relative humidity recoveries during an offshore wind event. The warning area included all but the southeast portion of Curry county as well as small parts of Coos (extreme south) and Josephine (extreme west) counties. The warning was extended to zone 620 from 09/24-25/02. This zone included almost all of Josephine county and far west Jackson county.Available data indicate that this warning verified at the Red Mound RAWS (zone 618) each night of the warning period. The Quail Prairie RAWS (zone 619) had sufficiently low RH values, but the winds did not meet warning criteria by a slim margin. The Onion Mountain RAWS (zone 620) verified a Red Flag Warning the one night it was in effect there and barely missed verifying the following night. Overall, it appears this event was handled well.

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 23, 2:25 AM PST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 23, 2:25 AM PST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 AM PDT MON SEP 23 2002

HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OFFSHORE AND IS EXPECTED TO AMPLIFY NORTH INTO
ALASKA THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THUS...WARM AND SUNNY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE
WITH A SUBTLE MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS UPPER
FLOW TURNS MORE NORTHERLY INTO THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN. THE OFFSHORE
LOW LEVEL FLOW AT THE SOUTH OREGON COAST WILL INCREASE TONIGHT AND
MORE TUESDAY NIGHT WITH BROOKINGS EFFECT TEMPS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY.

FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...THERE IS UNCERTAINTY. THE OVERALL MODEL
TREND IS TO DEVELOP MORE TROUGHING FROM THE N AND BRING THE WEAK
UPPER LOW DOWN BY 30N NORTHWARD WITH A COOLING TREND OCCURRING. THE
MRF CURRENTLY SUGGESTS SOME PRECIP IS POSSIBLE IN THE FORM OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS SAT/SUN WITH THE UPPER LOW COMING IN OVERHEAD. THE
ECMWF SOLUTION IS TRENDING THE UPPER LOW INTO NORTHERN CA AND IS MORE
AGGRESSIVE WITH THE COOLING TROUGH FROM THE NORTH. HAVE DECIDED TO
KEEP THE FORECAST DRY AND CONTINUE THE COOLING TREND NOT FAR FROM MEX
GUIDANCE. STAVISH

.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE TO PT. ST. GEORGE 0-60 NM.

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, Curry

When
September 23, 4:30 AM PST to September 26, 11:55 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
September 23, 4:30 AM PST to September 26, 11:55 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.

Wildfire, Josephine

When
September 23, 4:30 AM PST to September 26, 11:55 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, Jackson

When
September 24, 6:15 AM PST to September 25, 5:40 AM 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.

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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, September 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: 5320589, 5320590, 5320591, 5320592.