Wildfire in California, August 1 to 4, 2007

Name: Wildfire in California, August 1 to 4, 2007
Start: 2007-08-01T00:00
End: 2007-08-04T00:00
Location: California

August 1 to 4, 2007 · NWS MFR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning ignited several clusters of wildfires in western Siskiyou county on 07/10/2007. One cluster of 30 fires became known as the Elk Complex.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: 1

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.

Lightning ignited several clusters of wildfires in western Siskiyou county on 07/10/2007. One cluster of 30 fires became known as the Elk Complex. A Red Flag Warning for dry lightning was in effect when these fires started. The fires burned into August. 1 fatality occurred fighting the fire (non-weather related helicopter crash)in July and costs were 18.3 million dollars as of 08/04/2007, when the fire was handed over to a Type III team. 17,684 acres burned and the fire was 90% contained as of 08/04/2007. Full containment was expected by 09/15/2007.

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 Jul 31, 7:00 PM PST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 7:00 PM PST, 5 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
800 PM PDT TUE JUL 31 2007

.DISCUSSION...00Z NGM/NAM IN.

MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS PREVAIL OVER THE MEDFORD
CWA...EXCEPT ALONG THE COAST WHERE STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS CONTINUE
TO BLOW. EXPECT LOW CLOUDS TO DEVELOP LATER TONIGHT ALONG THE
COAST NORTH OF CAPE BLANCO.

WEAK FLOW ALOFT OVER THE AREA WITH A HIGH OVER THE GREAT BASIN AND
A VERY WEAK CUTOFF LOW OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST. SOUTHERLY FLOW
ALOFT WILL DEVELOP WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...AND THIS WILL OPEN THE
DOOR TO MONSOONAL MOISTURE MOVING UP FROM THE SOUTH. THAT COMBINED
WITH STRONG SURFACE HEATING WILL ALLOW SOME AFTERNOON/EVENING
THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. EXPECT COVERAGE
TO BE ISOLATED AND LIMITED TO WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY AND EAST OF
THE CASCADES. CONDITIONS THURSDAY WILL BE A BIT BETTER FOR
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WITH MORE AVAILABLE MOISTURE...MORE
INSTABILITY AND AN UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE WHICH WILL MOVE THROUGH
IN THE AFTERNOON.

EXTENDED DISCUSSION FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON AFD...IN THE EXTENDED
THE GFS IS STILL ADVERTISING A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO MOVE ACROSS
THE PACIFIC NORTH WEST. THERE IS SOME DISPARITY BETWEEN THE ECMWF
AND THE GFS AS FAR AS TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF THIS LOW.
THEREFORE...HAVE TRENDED TEMPERATURES A LITTLE COOLER AND
INTRODUCED SOME GHOST POPS INTO THE EXTENDED FORECAST. WE WILL
NEED TO MONITOR THIS EVENT AS TIME DRAWS CLOSER.

&&

.AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL FOR THE NEXT 24
HOURS...EXCEPT ALONG THE COAST NORTH OF CAPE BLANCO...WHERE MVFR
CIGS WITH LOCAL IFR CIGS/VSBYS WILL DEVELOP IN THE LATE NIGHT
THROUGH MORNING HOURS.

&&

.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...NONE.

CA...NONE.

PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...GALE WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY FOR PZZ356-PZZ376.
     HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 5 PM PDT THURSDAY FOR PZZ356-PZZ376.
     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 5 PM PDT THURSDAY FOR
     PZZ350-PZZ370.
     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS UNTIL 5 PM PDT THURSDAY
     FOR PZZ350-PZZ370.

15/14/14

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Central Siskiyou County

When: August 1, 12:00 AM PST to August 4, 12:00 AM PST
Where: Central Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 41.593, -122.540 (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 California in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in California, August 2007

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: 57428.