Oregon, 2008Wildfire in Oregon, August 13 to 31, 2008
August 13 to 31, 2008 · NWS MFR · 1 event in 1 county or zone
Lightning from a thunderstorm event on 08/13/08 ignited a round of wildfires across southwest Oregon. The North Fork Complex fires, which consisted of the North Fork and Rattle fires, were initially considered as one entity until the North Fork fire was contained and controlled on 08/31/08.
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
Open the live radar over this ground
- 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.
Lightning from a thunderstorm event on 08/13/08 ignited a round of wildfires across southwest Oregon. The North Fork Complex fires, which consisted of the North Fork and Rattle fires, were initially considered as one entity until the North Fork fire was contained and controlled on 08/31/08. The North Fork fire was 26 miles northeast of Glide and was around 1341 acres in size. The cost was 7.4 million.
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 Aug 13, 1:04 PM PST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 13, 1:04 PM PST, 1 hour 56 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
204 PM PDT WED AUG 13 2008
.SHORT TERM...HOT WILL BE THE ADJECTIVE THAT MOST PEOPLE WILL USE
TO DESCRIBE THE WEATHER OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. MODELS ARE IN
AGREEMENT WITH A 591 TO 594 DECAMETER UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS
BUILDING OVER THE WEST COAST BEGINNING THURSDAY. MEANWHILE...AN
ANOMALOUSLY STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL DIVE SOUTH THROUGH THE
GREAT PLAINS WHICH WILL EFFECTIVELY KEEP THE STRONG RIDGE AXIS
OVER OUR REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND. AT THE SURFACE...THIS WILL
TRANSLATE TO +100F TEMPERATURES FOR THE ROGUE VALLEY THROUGH
SATURDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF CONVECTION SUNDAY...HOWEVER...
MOISTURE IS VERY LIMITED AND SUBSIDENCE UNDERNEATH THE HIGH WILL
LIKELY DOMINATE.
.LONG TERM...MORE CLIMO/SEASONAL WEATHER IS EXPECTED MONDAY ONWARDS AS
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SWINGS OUT OF THE GULF OF ALASKA AND WEAKENS
THE RIDGE OVER THE AREA. THE 12Z MODEL SUITES ALL AGREE ON THIS
GENERAL UPPER LEVEL PATTERN CHANGE...ALTHOUGH EACH MODEL IS
DIFFERENT ON THE INTENSITY AND AGGRESSIVENESS OF THE UPPER LEVEL
FEATURE. BECAUSE OF THIS UNCERTAINTY...DID NOT INTRODUCE
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD ALTHOUGH COOLER OR
MORE SEASONAL WEATHER IS POSSIBLE AT THE END OF THE UPCOMING HOT
SPELL.
&&
.AVIATION...
IFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE COAST THIS EVENING AND
THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. OTHERWISE, VFR CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED INLAND.
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...NONE.
CA...NONE.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...GALE WARNING UNTIL 3 AM PDT THURSDAY FOR
PZZ356-PZZ376.
HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 3 AM PDT THURSDAY FOR PZZ356-PZZ376.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 10 PM PDT THURSDAY FOR
PZZ350-PZZ370.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON
TO 10 PM PDT THURSDAY FOR PZZ350-PZZ370.
RH/KS/MP/MOWildfire, Eastern Douglas County Foothills
- When
- August 13, 3:00 PM PST to August 31, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Eastern Douglas County Foothills forecast zone
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 43.285, -123.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning from a thunderstorm event on 08/13/08 ignited a round of wildfires across southwest Oregon. The North Fork Complex fires, which consisted of the North Fork and Rattle fires, were initially considered as one entity until the North Fork fire was contained and controlled on 08/31/08. The North Fork fire was 26 miles northeast of Glide and was around 1341 acres in size. The cost was 7.4 million.
- 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.
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Florida, August 13, 20081 injured · $12 million · 52 kt wind · 12 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Arizona, August 13 to 14, 2008$2.5 million · 65 kt wind · 7 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, August 13, 2008$195,000 · 1 in hail · 9 events
- Hail in Iowa, August 13, 2008$134,000 · 1.5 in hail · 14 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in West Virginia, August 13, 2008$52,000 · 1.25 in hail · 12 events
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, August 13, 2008$50,000 · 0.88 in hail · 2 events
- Lightning Strike in Illinois, August 13, 2008$45,000 · 1 event
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, August 13, 20082 injured · 52 kt wind · 11 events
- Tornado in Colorado, August 13, 2008$10,000 · EF1 · 1 event
- Tornado and Hail in Nebraska, August 13, 2008$18,000 · EF0 · 13 events
- Damaging Winds in Florida, August 13, 2008$25,000 · 60 kt wind · 5 events
- Lightning Strike in New Mexico, August 13, 2008$30,000 · 1 event
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: 124075.