Oregon, 2003

Wildfire in Oregon, September 12 to 14, 2003

September 12 to 14, 2003 · NWS MFR · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A Red Flag Warning was issued effective at the above times for fire weather zones 618/619, which includes nearly all of Curry county, a small part of southern Coos county, and a small part of western Josephine county. Strong offshore winds were expected.

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

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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 effective at the above times for fire weather zones 618/619, which includes nearly all of Curry county, a small part of southern Coos county, and a small part of western Josephine county. Strong offshore winds were expected. The strong winds occurred on the first night...but relative humidity recoveries were high enough not to verify the warning. The second night the winds abated but the recoveries were poor. Only the Red Mound RAWS in zone 619 verified the warning on that night.However, this was a strong offshore event and a critical fire weather pattern, so the warning was justified as far as the fire weather agencies were concerned.

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 12, 1:34 AM PST, 4 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 12, 1:34 AM PST, 4 hours 58 minutes before
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
234 AM PDT FRI SEP 12 2003

OFFSHORE FLOW ALREADY BEGINNING TO SURFACE OVERNIGHT AS COASTAL
CLEARING SETS IN. LINGERING CLOUD COVER IN THE UMPQUA BASIN AND THE
CASCADE FOOTHILLS WILL DISSIPATE AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES AND
OFFSHORE FLOW INTENSIFIES WITH DEEPENING THERMAL TROUGH ALONG THE
COAST. OFFSHORE FLOW STRENGTHENS TONIGHT WITH WINDS REMAINING HIGH
ON THE RIDGES OF SOUTHERN OREGON COASTAL RANGES AND IN WESTERN
SISKIYOU COUNTY. STRONG NORTH TO NORTHWEST FLOW REMAINS IN PLACE
SATURDAY...BRINGING A BROOKINGS EFFECT TO THE EXTREME SOUTHERN
OREGON COAST WITH TEMPERATURES CLIMBING IN THE UPPER 80 TO NEAR 90
AT BROOKINGS AND IN INLAND VALLEYS OF CURRY COUNTY AND POSSIBLY
EXTENDING INTO PORTIONS OF COOS COUNTY. THIS SITUATION REMAINS IN
PLACE THROUGH SUNDAY.

IN THE EXTENDED...LATEST GFS RUN IS NOT AS DEEP AS YESTERDAYS RUN
ON TROUGH BRINGING SYSTEM INTO PAC NW ON TUESDAY...BUT THIS WAS NOT
UNEXPECTED AS YESTERDAYS OPERATIONAL RUN WAS THE DEEPEST RUN OF ALL
THE ENSEMBLE PLOTS. HAVE CUT BACK POPS TO NEAR 20 IN THE UMPQUA
BASIN AND THE CENTRAL OREGON COAST AND HAVE KEPT PRECIP WORDING OUT
OF EXTENDED PERIODS. OTHERWISE HAVE LEFT EXTENDED INTACT.

.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CAPE BLANCO OR TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.

SVEN
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 12, 6:15 AM PST, 17 minutes before
ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-131330-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
715 AM PDT FRI SEP 12 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

RED FLAG WARNING TONIGHT FOR CURRY AND WESTERN JOSEPHINE COUNTY OF
OREGON AND WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY OF CALIFORNIA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

RED FLAG WARNING SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR CURRY AND
WESTERN JOSEPHINE COUNTY OF OREGON AND WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY OF
CALIFORNIA.

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

ORR

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, Curry

When
September 12, 6:32 AM PST to September 14, 11:05 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 12, 6:32 AM PST to September 14, 11:05 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 12, 6:32 AM PST to September 14, 11:05 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.

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 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, September 2003

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: 5374874, 5374875, 5374876.