Wildfire in Washington, August 18 to 26, 2008

Name: Wildfire in Washington, August 18 to 26, 2008
Start: 2008-08-18T16:00
End: 2008-08-26T17:00
Location: Washington

August 18 to 26, 2008 · NWS OTX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Swanson Lake Fire, centered 17 miles west of Davenport, was a fire of unknown cause and burned 19,090 acres. The fire caused a brief closure of Highway two from Wilbur to Davenport.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 OTX wrote it up.

The Swanson Lake Fire, centered 17 miles west of Davenport, was a fire of unknown cause and burned 19,090 acres. The fire caused a brief closure of Highway two from Wilbur to Davenport. Smoke blowing across State Route 25 caused a temporary closure from Davenport north to the Columbia River.

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 Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 18, 3:48 PM PST, 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 18, 3:48 PM PST, 12 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
448 PM PDT MON AUG 18 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL PUSH EAST OVERNIGHT ALLOWING A
A COLD FRONT TO PUSH THROUGH REGION. THIS FRONT WILL TRIGGER
NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WHICH SHOULD CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY. A DEEP
AND UNUSUALLY STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE OVER THE INLAND
NORTHWEST BY MIDWEEK. THIS TROUGH WILL BRING VERY WET AND COOLER
THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS TO THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
TONIGHT...EARLY EVENING FORECAST UPDATE TO REFINE FORECAST BASED
ON THE ISSUANCE OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR MOST OF THE
FORECAST AREA UNTIL 11 PM TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE FIRING OVER
OREGON AT THIS TIME AND WILL TAKE A COUPLE HOURS TO REACH THE
SOUTHERN ZONES OF THE FORECAST AREA...BUT INSTABILITY...INCOMING
DYNAMIC SUPPORT ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCOMING NEGATIVELY TILTED
TROUGH...AND STRONG MID LEVEL SHEAR VALUES SUGGEST THESE STORMS
WILL BE ORGANIZED AS THEY CROSS INTO THE FORECAST AREA. WHILE THE
MAIN LARGE HAIL THUNDERSTORM THREAT WILL BE CONCENTRATED SOUTH AND
WEST OF A LINE FROM AROUND OMAK TO SPOKANE TO LEWISTON THIS
EVENING...THERE IS A CHANCE OF STRONG AND POSSIBLY DAMAGING GUST
FRONTS RADIATING OUT FROM THESE STORMS AND PENETRATING INTO THE
IDAHO COUNTIES AND NORTHEASTERN ZONES AS THE EVENING WEARS
ON...AND TRIGGER MORE STORMS OVER THESE PERIPHERAL COUNTIES.
IN THE MEAN TIME A MARINE PUSH APPEARS TO BE UNDERWAY OVER THE
BASIN WITH SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AND RADAR INDICATING 20 KNOT
SUSTAINED SOUTHWEST WINDS WITH GUST POTENTIAL TO 35 KNOTS FROM
WENATCHEE TO SPOKANE BEFORE THE STORMS ADD THEIR GUST FRONTS LATER
THIS EVENING. BLOWING DUST HAS BEEN REPORTED OVER THE DEEP BASIN
IN THE LAST HOUR. THUS ZONE FORECAST UPDATE IMMINENT TO REFINE
THESE THREATS. UPDATE TO STATE FORECAST ALSO EXPECTED. /FUGAZZI

&&

.AVIATION...
PREDOMINATELY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED AT ALL SITES THROUGH 00Z
WEDNESDAY. MAIN AVIATION CONCERN WILL BE THE THREAT FOR STRONG TO
LOCAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE INLAND NORTHWEST MONDAY
EVENING...GENERALLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. A LINE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO LIFT TOWARD INTO THE AREA...STARTING
NEAR KEAT AND KMWH AND MOVING UP INTO THE KLWS/KPUW AREA BY 01-03Z
AND TOWARD THE KGEG-KCOE AREA TOWARD 03-05Z. LCL MVFR/IFR CIGS AND
VIS ARE POSSIBLE IN HEAVIER STORMS...WITH GUSTY WINDS TO 30KT..OR
IN EXCESS OF 50KT IN AND IN THE VCNTY OF ANY SEVERE STORMS. EXPECT
A CONTINUED RISK OF RAIN AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT/INTO
TUESDAY...BUT THE THREAT FOR STRONGER STORMS WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT
PRIMARILY INTO THE PANHANDLE EASTWARD. /JCOTE

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SPOKANE        65  80  56  67  54  66 /  50  30  20  70  60  50
COEUR DALENE  62  79  57  63  52  62 /  40  40  20  80  60  50
PULLMAN        60  79  56  68  52  67 /  40  30  20  70  60  50
LEWISTON       68  85  62  74  59  73 /  30  30  20  60  60  30
COLVILLE       56  81  52  66  51  65 /  50  40  40  80  70  50
SANDPOINT      57  77  53  61  51  60 /  40  40  20  70  70  60
KELLOGG        64  77  56  62  50  61 /  40  40  20  80  80  60
MOSES LAKE     62  85  59  72  54  72 /  50   0  30  40  30  20
WENATCHEE      66  82  60  71  57  71 /  50   0  40  50  40  20
OMAK           62  84  56  72  54  72 /  50  10  40  40  30  20

&&

.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 5 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR CENTRAL PANHANDLE
     MOUNTAINS...COEUR DALENE AREA...IDAHO PALOUSE...NORTHERN
     PANHANDLE.

     RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR LEWIS AND
     SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES...LEWISTON AREA.

     SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 839 UNTIL 11 PM FOR NORTH IDAHO
     PANHANDLE...KOOTENAI COUNTY...IDAHO PALOUSE...LEWISTON...
     LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES.

WA...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 5 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR EAST SLOPES NORTHERN
     CASCADES...NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS...OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS...
     OKANOGAN VALLEY...WENATCHEE AREA.

     RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 5 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR MOSES LAKE AREA...
     NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS...SPOKANE AREA...UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN...
     WASHINGTON PALOUSE...WATERVILLE PLATEAU.

     RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR LOWER GARFIELD
     AND ASOTIN COUNTIES.

     SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 839 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS
     EVENING FOR EAST SLOPES NORTH CASCADES...COLUMBIA
     BASIN...FOOTHILLS BLUE MOUNTAINS...BLUE MOUNTAINS...LOWER
     GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES...WASHINGTON PALOUSE...SPOKANE
     AREA...NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS...OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS...WENATCHEE
     AREA...OKANOGAN VALLEY...WATERVILLE PLATEAU...

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 18, 4:09 AM PST, 11 hours 51 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
509 AM PDT MON AUG 18 2008

WAZ038-041>044-191215-
OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-WENATCHEE AREA-EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-
OKANOGAN VALLEY-WATERVILLE PLATEAU-
509 AM PDT MON AUG 18 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
WASHINGTON AND NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE TODAY NEAR THE
CASCADES...WITH WINDS BECOMING BREEZY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS A
COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE REGION. THE RECENT HOT AND DRY WEATHER
COMBINED WITH VERY DRY FUELS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO AN ELEVATED FIRE
POTENTIAL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>037-191215-
NORTHERN PANHANDLE-COEUR DALENE AREA-IDAHO PALOUSE-
CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS-LEWISTON AREA-
LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES-NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS-
LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES-WASHINGTON PALOUSE-
MOSES LAKE AREA-UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN-SPOKANE AREA-
NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-
509 AM PDT MON AUG 18 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH IDAHO...
NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...EAST CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTHEAST
WASHINGTON AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS AND BREEZY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP BY LATE
AFTERNOON AND ESPECIALLY INTO EARLY EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES
INTO THE REGION. THE RECENT HOT AND DRY WEATHER COMBINED WITH
VERY DRY FUELS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO AN ELEVATED FIRE POTENTIAL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

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, Upper Columbia Basin

When: August 18, 4:00 PM PST to August 26, 5:00 PM PST
Where: Upper Columbia Basin forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 47.610, -119.173 (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 Washington in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, August 2008

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: 131400.