The Flag Knoll wildland fire use fire began with a lightning strike on July 21st and was allowed to burn through September 3rd when rain ended it. It burned over 500 acres of timer and brush.
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 PIH wrote it up.
The Flag Knoll wildland fire use fire began with a lightning strike on July 21st and was allowed to burn through September 3rd when rain ended it. It burned over 500 acres of timer and brush. No damages were caused by the fire.
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 Pocatello, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 31, 8:28 PM MST, 3 hours 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 928 PM MDT SUN AUG 31 2008 .UPDATE... BULK OF THE RAIN IS EXITING EASTERN IDAHO AND ENTERING WYOMING. SCATTERED SHOWERS CONTINUE ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. THESE SHOWERS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AND ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN SOMEWHAT PERSISTENT THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. OTHERWISE...ONLY A STRAY SHOWER IS EXPECTED ELSEWHERE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 620 PM MDT SUN AUG 31 2008/ UPDATE... UPDATED FORECAST TO DROP THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. RADAR SHOWS THE LEADING EDGE OF THE CONVECTION MOVING INTO WYOMING. MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE LIGHTNING IS WITH THIS LINE ALONG WITH ANY STRONG CONVECTIVE WIND GUSTS. THERE HAS BEEN A GOOD DEAL OF STRATIFORM PRECIPITATION THAT CONTINUES ACROSS EASTERN IDAHO. ONE HOUR RAINFALL ESTIMATES HAVE SHOWN OVER AN INCH OF RAIN IN SOME SPOTS AND A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MAY BE NEEDED FOR SOME AREAS. THE BULK OF THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD BEGIN TO TAPER OFF AROUND 9 OR 10 PM THIS EVENING. WILL LIKELY ISSUE ANOTHER UPDATE LATER TO ADJUST RAIN CHANCES FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 214 PM MDT SUN AUG 31 2008/ DISCUSSION...WV SHOWS UPPER TROUGH HAS MADE LANDFALL WITH TROUGH AXIS ROUGHLY THROUGH CENTER OF WASHINGTON/OREGON THIS AFTERNOON. SFC COLD FRONT SPLIT THIS MORNING WITH FIRST WAVE ALREADY THROUGH A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF EASTERN IDAHO...CURRENTLY STALLED ON A LINE FROM ROUGHLY KDIJ TO KPIH AND THEN SOUTHWEST INTO NEVADA. SECOND PORTION OF FRONT HUNG UP IN CENTRAL MTNS COINCIDENT WITH 700MB TROUGH...WHERE LINE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STORMS CONTINUES THIS AFTERNOON. STRONGER STORMS ALREADY FIRING ALONG THE FRONT IN NEVADA AND ARE BEGINNING TO MAKE NORTHWARD PROGRESS INTO SOUTHERN IDAHO. GIVEN MOISTURE AND SHEAR PROFILES...BEST BET FOR STRONG TO POTENTIALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST CORNER AHEAD OF FRONT. STRONG WIND GUSTS AND HAIL THE MAJOR THREATS. DEEP CONVECTION EXPECTED TO END WITH SUNSET. UPPER TROUGH PUSHES EAST TONIGHT AND THROUGH THE DAY MONDAY. WILL EXPECT SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA UNDER INFLUENCE OF COLD POOL ALTHOUGH LACK OF JET DYNAMICS AND MUCH DRIER AIR SHOULD PRECLUDE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. CAVEAT TO THE PRECIPITATION IS THAT BOTH THE NAM AND THE GFS MAINTAIN DRY SLOT OVER THE SNAKE VALLEY THROUGH MONDAY. WINDS STAY ELEVATED UNDER TIGHT SFC GRADIENT BEHIND THE FRONT...WHICH WILL HELP KEEP OVERNIGHT LOWS RELATIVELY MILD TONIGHT. STUCK CLOSE TO AVERAGE OF NAM/GFS NUMERICAL GUIDANCE. HIGHS ON MONDAY WILL STRUGGLE...AND COULD BE LOWER THAN CURRENTLY FCST GIVEN CURRENT TEMPS IN VALLEY. OVERNIGHT LOWS MONDAY NIGHT COULD REACH NEAR FREEZING...AND WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED FOR POTENTIAL FROST/FREEZE STATEMENT. OTHERWISE...UPPER LOW/TROUGH DEPARTS MON NIGHT LEAVING BROAD COOL TROUGH OVER PACNW. MODELS DROP WEAK WAVE THROUGH PANHANDLE SKIRTING THE MONTANA BORDER TUE AND TUE NIGHT...BUT DOESNT APPEAR TO HOLD MUCH MOISTURE OTHER THAN FOR A FEW MID LEVEL CLOUDS. AREA REMAINS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE COOL TROUGH THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FCST...WITH MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS AND COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPS. DMH AVIATION...EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS AND RAIN SHOWERS AT ALL SNAKE PLAIN TAF SITES THIS EVENING FROM BURLEY TO IDAHO FALLS. THE COLD FRONT APPEARS TO BE VERY NEAR POCATELLO AS IT HAS PROGRESSED EAST OF TWIN FALLS AND BURLEY. EXPECT MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH MONDAY BUT SOME OCCASIONAL MVFR CEILINGS OR VISIBILITIES MAY OCCUR UNDERNEATH A HEAVY RAIN SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM. EXPECT GENERAL WINDS IN THE 10 TO 20 MPH RANGE THROUGH MONDAY AT BYI...IDA...AND PIH. GK FIRE WEATHER...AN UPPER LEVEL TROF CONTINUES TO PROGRESS EAST WITH A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO AT PRESENT. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM FOR ZONES 412 AND 413 FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE. ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THE REMAINDER OF THE DISTRICT. THE COLD FRONT CLEARS IDAHO TONIGHT AND MUCH COLDER AND MOIST CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ON LABOR DAY. GK && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 925 PM MDT SUN AUG 31 2008 IDZ017>025-031-032-011030- EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY-SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS-UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS- UPPER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN-LOWER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN- SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-CARIBOU HIGHLANDS- CACHE VALLEY/IDAHO PORTION-WASATCH MOUNTAINS/IDAHO PORTION- BIG AND LITTLE WOOD RIVER REGION-LOST RIVER/PAHSIMEROI- 925 PM MDT SUN AUG 31 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP BY AFTERNOON TO APPROXIMATELY 7000 TO 7500 FEET. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ABOVE 8000 FEET IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS ARE FORECAST...WITH 1 TO 3 INCHES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN HIGHLANDS. MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES AND GUSTY WINDS WILL CREATE FALL LIKE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS EASTERN IDAHO. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM THE 30S IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS TO NEAR 60 IN THE SNAKE PLAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WE ASK TRAINED SPOTTERS AND CITIZENS TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO. THESE CONDITIONS MAY INCLUDE HAIL...TORNADOES...STRONG WIND...DUST STORMS...SNOWFALL... EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES...FREEZING RAIN OR HEAVY RAIN...DENSE FOG...AND FLOODING OR ICE JAMS. INFORMATION ABOUT THESE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS SHOULD BE CALLED INTO YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN POCATELLO USING THE 1-800 SEVERE WEATHER HOTLINE...OR 208-233-0834.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Flag Knoll wildland fire use fire began with a lightning strike on July 21st and was allowed to burn through September 3rd when rain ended it. The fire was located about 13 miles south of Swan Valley. It burned over 500 acres of timer and brush. No damages were caused by the fire.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, September 2008
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: 136595.