Oregon, 2008Wildfire in Oregon, August 16 to 31, 2008
August 16 to 31, 2008 · NWS MFR · 1 event in 1 county or zone
Lightning from a thunderstorm event on 08/16/08 ignited a round of wildfires across southwest Oregon. The Lonesome Complex fires consisted of the Middle Fork, Lonesome, and Bessie Rock fires.
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
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- 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 08/16/08 ignited a round of wildfires across southwest Oregon. The Lonesome Complex fires consisted of the Middle Fork, Lonesome, and Bessie Rock fires. As of 09/01/08, all but the Middle Fork fires were contained. The size of the fires was 800 acres and the Middle Fork fire was 35% contained. 2.6 million dollars had been spent on firefighting efforts.
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 16, 2:05 PM PST, 55 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 2:05 PM PST, 55 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
305 PM PDT SAT AUG 16 2008
.DISCUSSION...CONVECTION IS DEFINITELY STEPPED UP QUITE A BIT FROM
YESTERDAY...THE STRONG SUBSIDENCE INVERSION AT 500 MB THAT WAS ON
YESTERDAYS SOUNDING HAS WEAKENED AND SLIGHT COOLING IS MOVING IN
AT 500 MB AND THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO ALLOW AT LEAST ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE MOST COHESIVE ACTIVITY AS DEFINED BY THE
NAM12 850-700MB THETA E CONVERGENCE ZONE THAT LINES UP ALONG THE
CASCADES. THERE CONTINUES TO BE GREAT DIFFERENCES IN THE MOISTURE
FIELD FROM THE WEST SIDE TO THE EAST SIDE...WITH WEST SIDE DEW
POINTS IN THE MID 50S WITH PW VALUES ABOVE 1.5 INCHES...AND THE
FAR EAST SIDE DEW POINTS IN THE MID 30S AND PW VALUES NEAR .75
INCHES. ALTHOUGH MODELS ARE INDICATING THE CASCADES EASTWARD AS
THE MOST LIKELY AREA OF CONVECTION A VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS IS
WEST OF THE CASCADES WITH THE GFS SHOWING COMPUTED FROM 850 MB LI
APPROACHING -4. HOWEVER...THE CONVECTIVE TEMP ON THE WEST SIDE IS
RIGHT NEAR THE PREDICTED MAX TEMP AND A MORE LIKELY SCENARIO IS
CONVECTION FIRING UP IN THE SISKIYOUS AND PARTICULARLY IN THE
MOUNTAINS OF WEST CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY AND THEN ADVECTING IN
THE UNSTABLE AIR MASS NORTHWARD IN THE SOUTHERLY STEERING FLOW.
THIS BRINGS ANY STORM THAT MAY DEVELOP INTO THE WEST SIDE...MOST
LIKELY UP ALONG THE RIDGES BETWEEN MEDFORD AND GRANTS PASS AND
THEN UP INTO DOUGLAS COUNTY...IF THEY FORM.
PRETTY MUCH THE SAME PATTERN CONTINUES SUNDAY WITH INCREASED
MOISTURE AND A MUCH BETTER KICKER THAN TODAYS BL CONVERGENCE.
HOWEVER...THE BEST CONVERGENCE IS SHIFTED EAST TO THE EAST SIDE
WITH THE AXIS OF INSTABILITY SHIFTED EASTWARD OVER THE CASCADES AS
WELL.
AS BL TO 700 MB WINDS SHIFT MORE SOUTHWESTERLY TEMPERATURES WILL
DROP AROUND 20F BY TUESDAY WITH AREAS OF INSTABILITY SHIFTING FAR
TO THE EAST. MODELS ARE BECOMING MUCH MORE CONGRUENT ON THE SYSTEM
COMING IN LATE TUESDAY WITH ALL MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SHOWING
SIGNIFICANT QPF AND HAVE WALKED UP POPS SIGNIFICANTLY.
&&
.AVIATION...ISOLATED MVFR WITH THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE EVENING
OVER MOST OF THE REGION WITH BEST ACTIVITY ALONG THE CASCADES.
AREAS OF VFR DEVELOP ALONG THE COAST AND PUSH INTO THE INLAND
VALLEYS NEAR NORTH BEND BY LATE EVENING AND BURN BACK AGAIN TO THE
COAST BY NOON.
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 7 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR ORZ617.
CA...NONE.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...NONE.
SVEN
Wildfire, South Central Oregon Cascades
- When
- August 16, 3:00 PM PST to August 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- South Central Oregon Cascades forecast zone
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 42.801, -122.519 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning from a thunderstorm event on 08/16/08 ignited a round of wildfires across southwest Oregon. The Lonesome Complex fires consisted of the Middle Fork, Lonesome, and Bessie Rock fires. As of 09/01/08, all but the Middle Fork fires were contained. The size of the fires was 800 acres and the Middle Fork fire was 35% contained. 2.6 million dollars had been spent on firefighting efforts.
- 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.
- Flash Flood in Arizona, August 16 to 18, 2008$10 million · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Maine, August 16, 2008$1.2 million · 1 event
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, August 16, 2008$500,000 · 1 event
- Lightning Strike in New Hampshire, August 16, 2008$100,000 · 1 event
- Flash Flooding and Hail in New Mexico, August 16, 2008$75,000 · 63 kt wind · 5 events
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Massachusetts, August 16, 2008$31,000 · 2.25 in hail · 8 events
- Tornado in Colorado, August 16, 2008$8,000 · EF1 · 1 event
- Flash Flooding in Texas, August 16, 2008$28,000 · 3 events
- Hail in Maine, August 16, 20081.75 in hail · 15 events
- Hail in New Hampshire, August 16, 20081.75 in hail · 10 events
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, August 16, 2008$9,000 · 50 kt wind · 6 events
- Hail in Colorado, August 16, 20082.5 in hail · 4 events
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: 124076.