The Bone Creek Wildfire that began on Monday, August 13 continued until Saturday, September 15. The fire scorched approximately 13,670 acres of forest, almost all of which resided within the borders of Big Horn County.
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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.
The episode as NWS RIW wrote it up.
The Bone Creek Wildfire that began on Monday, August 13 continued until Saturday, September 15. The fire scorched approximately 13,670 acres of forest, almost all of which resided within the borders of Big Horn County. The passage of a cold front shortly after midnight on Wednesday, September 5 shifted winds to the north allowing the blaze to jump U.S. Highway 14 west of Shell Falls. Six-tenths of a mile of guardrail burned along the highway which was closed for most of September 5 and 6. Firefighting costs were estimated at $2.8 million. No structures were burned in the blaze. More information about the origins of this wildfire are contained in the August 2007 Storm Data publication.
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 Riverton, WY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 31, 2:11 PM MST, 9 hours 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 311 PM MDT FRI AUG 31 2007 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY A WEAK UPPER LEVEL SHORT-WAVE TROUGH IS CURRENTLY CENTERED NEAR BIG PINEY THIS AFTERNOON. THE CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WAVE THAT MOVED INTO THE AREA THIS MORNING PREVENTED MANY AREAS FROM REACHING CONVECTIVE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES AND KEPT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT DOWN AS A RESULT. SEVERAL AREAS IN LINCOLN...SUBLETTE AND FAR WESTERN FREEMONT COUNTIES HAVE CLEARED SOMEWHAT THIS AFTERNOON AND CONVECTION STARTING FIRE NICELY THERE. THE SINKING AIR ON THE BACKSIDE OF THIS WAVE IS EXPECTED TO DECREASE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE RAPIDLY AROUND SUNSET. AS THE SEMI-PERMANENT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE COUNTRY FLATTENS SOMEWHAT IN RESPONSE TO AN UPPER- LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING ONTO THE BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST TONIGHT...THE FLOW OVER WYOMING TURNS WESTERLY AND QUITE DRY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON OVER SOUTHWEST WYOMING WHERE SOME MID-LEVEL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO STREAM IN FROM SOUTHEAST IDAHO. AS THE UPPER HIGH REBOUNDS A BIT ON SUNDAY...MORE MID AND HIGH LEVEL MONSOON MOISTURE MOVES INTO WYOMING. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER MOST OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING...ESPECIALLY OVER AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS. .LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT ON MONDAY WITH ISOLATED AFTERNOON AND EVENING CONVECTION EXPECTED. LONG RANGE MODELS GO THEIR OWN WAY TUE THROUGH THU WITH THE INCOMING TROUGH. GFS MODEL IS BY FAR THE DEEPEST AND SLOWEST WITH ITS PROGRESSION THROUGH THE ROCKIES...KEEPING IT OVER THE REGION WED THRU FRI MORNING. UKMET MODEL IS THE FASTEST AS IT WHIPS TROUGH INTO THE ROCKIES TUE PM AND EVE AND THEN OUT OF THE AREA WED. ECMWF MODEL IS FAIRLY PROGRESSIVE WITH TROUGH BRINGING IT INTO THE REGION LATE TUE NIGHT AND WED AND OUT OF THE AREA THU. WILL HAVE TO SEE HOW ECMWF LOOKS IN THE COMING RUNS AS TO WHETHER IT WILL SLOW THINGS DOWN OR KEEP THE TROUGH MOVING. FOR NOW WILL KEEP SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIP OVER THE REGION TUE PM AND NIGHT AS TROUGH NEARS. DECIDED TO GO WITH A CHANCE OF PRECIP WED INTO WED NIGHT WITH THE TROUGH PASSING ACROSS THE ROCKIES. HAVE GONE WITH ECMWF TIMING FOR NOW ON THU WITH THE TROUGH EXITING AND NOT THE GFS CLOSED LOW OVER WESTERN WY THU PM SOLUTION. THUS ISOLATED MTNS SHOWERS AND STORMS THU PM AND EVE. NEXT FRIDAY LOOKS MOSTLY DRY. AS FOR TEMPS...VERY WARM TO HOT MON AND TUE...THEN MUCH COOLER WED INTO THU...THEN WARMER NEXT FRI. WILL KEEP AN EYE ON THIS POTENTIAL STORM. && .AVIATION...A MID DECK OF CLOUDS AROUND 8000 FEET MSL WILL BE REPLACED BY A NEW ROUND OF CONVECTION LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND ASSOCIATED PACIFIC COLD FRONT TRACKS ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. THE MID DECK OF CLOUDS WILL CLEAR OUT LAST IN NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING THIS AFTERNOON. ONCE THE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON...THE GREATEST THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL BE FAIRLY HIGH BASED. A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES ARE LIKELY AS WELL ALTHOUGH NOT MUCH RAINFALL IS EXPECTED OUT OF THESE STORMS. EXPECT ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED AREAS OF MVFR CONDITIONS WITH THESE STORMS. THE SKIES WILL CLEAR FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST THIS EVENING AS AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE IS REINFORCED FROM THE SOUTHWEST. AFTER THIS EVENING EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS. && .FIRE WEATHER...A WEAK SHORT-WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE ALONG WITH MID-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING OVER MOST OF THE DISTRICT. SINKING AIR BEHIND THE WAVE WILL BRING A QUICK END TO THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS EVENING. DRIER AIR ALOFT MOVES INTO NORTHWEST WYOMING ON SATURDAY...LIMITING ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM TO SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE DISTRICT. THE FLOW BECOMES SLIGHTLY MORE SOUTHWESTERLY ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND MORE IN THE WAY OF MID-LEVEL MOISTURE MOVES UP FROM THE GREAT BASIN FOR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALL OF THE DISTRICT. WARMER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND WINDS LESS THAN 15 MPH ARE EXPECTED THROUGH SUNDAY. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...CHURCH LONG TERM...AR AVIATION...LIPSON FIRE WEATHER...CHURCH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 500 AM MDT FRI AUG 31 2007 WYZ001>020-022>030-011200- ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS-BIGHORN MOUNTAINS SOUTHEAST- BIGHORN MOUNTAINS WEST-CASPER MOUNTAIN-CODY FOOTHILLS- EAST SWEETWATER COUNTY-FLAMING GORGE- GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE-JACKSON HOLE-LANDER FOOTHILLS- NATRONA COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS-NORTH BIG HORN BASIN- NORTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY-OWL CREEK AND BRIDGER MOUNTAINS- ROCK SPRINGS AND GREEN RIVER-SALT RIVER AND WYOMING RANGES- SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-SOUTHEAST BIG HORN BASIN- SOUTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY-SOUTHWEST BIG HORN BASIN-STAR VALLEY- TETON AND GROS VENTRE MOUNTAINS-UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN- UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN FOOTHILLS-UPPER WIND RIVER BASIN- WIND RIVER BASIN-WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS EAST-WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS WEST- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK- 500 AM MDT FRI AUG 31 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...AS AXIS OF GREATEST MOISTURE SLIDES SLOWLY TO THE EAST INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS BY LATE SUNDAY. THE GREATEST THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE HIGH WINDS AND LIGHTNING. ISOLATED STORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON LABOR DAY AS WELL. EXPECT VERY WARM TO HOT TEMPERATURES THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND...WITH HIGHS IN THE 80S AND 90S WITH 70S FOR MOST MOUNTAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT WIND GUSTS OF OVER 40 MPH IN WESTERN WYOMING LATER TODAY AND THIS EVENING. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, September 2007
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: 55249.