A lightning strike started a wildfire just after noon on September 29th. The fire continued to burn through the middle of October and consumed a total of 1,385 acres of forest timber.
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.
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 OTX wrote it up.
A lightning strike started a wildfire just after noon on September 29th. The fire continued to burn through the middle of October and consumed a total of 1,385 acres of forest timber.
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 Sep 29, 9:27 AM PST, 2 hours 33 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 1027 AM PDT THU SEP 29 2011 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE OVER THE REGION RESULTING IN MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND SEASONABLE WARM TEMPERATURES. THIS WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY. OVER THE WEEKEND LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE IN AND ALLOW FOR COOLER TEMPERATURES AND A RETURN OF UNSETTLED WET WEATHER. THE COOL AND WET PATTERN WILL EXTEND THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION... TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE OVER THE INLAND NORTHWEST THROUGH THE SHORT TERM FORECAST PERIOD WITH THE RIDGE AXIS SLOWLY SHIFTING EAST THE NEXT 24 HOURS IN RESPONSE TO THE NEXT DEEP UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVING THROUGH THE GULF OF ALASKA. THIS WILL RESULT IN ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND MODERATE TO POOR OVERNIGHT RELATIVE HUMIDITY RECOVERIES ON MID-SLOPES AND RIDGES. A WEAK NORTHEASTERLY GRADIENT HAS ALLOWED MUCH DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION OVERNIGHT...WITH DEWPOINTS DROPPING INTO THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S. SO FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS WITH TEMPERATURES UP 12-17 DEGREES OVER WEDNESDAY AND WELL ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS. WINDS MAINLY LIGHT FROM THE EAST-SOUTHEAST BY FRIDAY THE RIDGE AXIS BEGINS TO SHIFT EASTWARD. THIS WILL ALLOW INCREASED UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE TO MOVE INTO THE REGION AND RESULT IN MAINLY INCREASED HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS ACROSS THE WESTERN ZONES IN THE AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL BE UP ANOTHER 3-5 DEGREES FOR WHAT WILL MOST LIKELY BE THE WARMEST DAY OF THE WEEK. SURFACE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT AROUND TO THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE DAY AND REMAIN LIGHT. ONE THING WE ARE LOOKING AT THIS MORNING IS THE 00Z KOTX SOUNDING SHOWED A SUBSIDENCE INVERSION LOWERING TO AROUND 700MB. THE COMBINATION OF A LOWERING SUBSIDENCE INVERSION...THE DEVELOPING SURFACE INVERSION AND THE EASTERLY GRADIENT IS RESULTING IN A SQUEEZE OF AIR JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE INVERSION CREATING A LOW LEVEL JET. THIS HAS RESULTED IN WINDS A FEW THOUSAND FEET OFF THE GROUND TO 25-45 KTS OR MORE. BECAUSE THIS IS TYPICALLY A NIGHT TIME PHENOMENA THE SURFACE INVERSION WILL KEEP THESE WINDS FROM SURFACING AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. HOWEVER ON THE EXPOSED RIDGES OF THE CASCADES WINDS WILL BE QUITE GUSTY THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...BEFORE DECREASING AFTER SUNRISE. /TOBIN FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...LONGWAVE PATTERN WILL SHIFT AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS EAST OF THE REGION AND A DEEP UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE CIRCULATION DIVES INTO THE GULF OF ALASKA. AS THIS PATTERN SHIFT TAKES SHAPE...WE WILL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON A SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. OUT AHEAD OF THIS WAVE WILL BE AN INCREASE OF MID TO UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE. MODELS ARE SHOWING SOME PRECIPITATION OUT AHEAD OF THIS WAVE SCATTERED OVER MUCH OF THE REGION. THE GFS MODEL DOES PAINT SOME UPPER LEVEL INSTABILITY ACROSS THE REGION...WHICH MAY BE WHAT THE MODELS ARE KEYING IN ON. HOWEVER THE ONLY KICKER THAT WOULD SPARK OFF ANY ELEVATED CONVECTION WOULD BE THE SHORT WAVE...WHICH TAKES UNTIL SATURDAY AFTERNOON TO REACH NORTHWESTERN OREGON AND WESTERN WASHINGTON. TAKING A CROSS SECTION FROM THE CASCADES TO THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE...LOW LEVELS REMAIN FAIRLY DRY THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS ON SATURDAY. THUS...WE SHOULD SEE MID TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVER INCREASING ON SATURDAY WITH THE BEST CHANCES OF MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION EXPECTED DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST AS THIS SHORTWAVE OF ENERGY MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. SOMETHING ELSE TO KEEP AN EYE ON WILL BE THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THE GFS MODEL HAS BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT OVER THE LAST FEW RUNS SHOWING UP TO ABOUT 200-300 J/KG OF CAPE AND LIFTED INDEX VALUES DOWN TO ABOUT -2 FROM THE CASCADE CREST TO THE NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS. 700-500 MB LAPSE RATES AHEAD OF THE SHORTWAVE ARE RIGHT AROUND 7 C/KM...WHICH COULD BE ENOUGH UPPER LEVEL INSTABILITY TO KEEP THUNDERSTORMS GOING INTO THE NIGHTTIME HOURS ON SATURDAY AS THIS DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO THE NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND NORTHERN IDAHO PANHANDLE. HOWEVER...SEEING AS WE ARE LATE IN THE SEASON FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN IDAHO...DECIDED TO HOLD OFF IN PUTTING THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE FORECAST. SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...MODELS INDICATE SHORTWAVE RIDGING OF HIGHER PRESSURE BUILDING BEHIND THE UPPER LEVEL WEATHER DISTURBANCE THAT MOVES NORTHEAST OF THE REGION BY SUNDAY. THIS SHOULD GIVE US A SHORT BREAK BEFORE THE STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW OFFSHORE BRINGS IN MUCH WETTER AND COOLER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE INLAND NORTHWEST. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF MODELS ARE CONSISTENT WITH BRINGING THROUGH A SERIES OF MOIST FRONTS WITH THE FIRST MOVING INTO THE CASCADES EARLY MONDAY. MODELS ARE SHOWING A SLOW PROGRESSION OF THE FRONT AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE REGION FROM WEST TO EAST...AND MAY TAKE UNTIL ABOUT TUESDAY MORNING BEFORE THIS FRONT MOVES EAST OF THE REGION. A SECOND...AND POSSIBLY STRONGER FRONTAL SYSTEM LOOKS TO MOVE RAPIDLY IN BEHIND WITH POSSIBLY ONLY A 12 TO 18 HOUR BREAK BETWEEN SYSTEMS. BOTH SYSTEMS SHOW A CONNECTION TO SOME SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE...BUT THE SECOND SYSTEM TO MOVE IN CLOSER TO MID WEEK SHOWS A DEEPER FETCH OF MOISTURE WITH A BETTER CHANCE OF MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION. BOTH OF THESE FRONTAL SYSTEMS WILL USHER IN COOL AIR WITH DROPPING SNOW LEVELS. BY MID WEEK...WE COULD SEE SNOW LEVELS DOWN TO AROUND 5000 TO 6000 FEET. THIS WOULD BE LOW ENOUGH FOR SNOWFALL ACROSS THE HIGHER PEAKS IN THE MOUNTAINS. A COOLING TREND IS EXPECTED WITH BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FROM EARLY TO MID WEEK AND LIKELY BEYOND. /SVH && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS...HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AREA WILL KEEP VFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES THE PREVAILING CONDITION THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY. /PELATTI && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SPOKANE 76 47 79 49 73 47 / 0 0 0 10 10 20 COEUR D'ALENE 77 45 79 49 74 47 / 0 0 0 10 10 20 PULLMAN 80 47 82 48 73 45 / 0 0 0 10 10 20 LEWISTON 84 51 87 52 79 52 / 0 0 0 10 10 20 COLVILLE 79 40 82 44 75 43 / 0 0 0 10 20 30 SANDPOINT 74 35 76 42 70 45 / 0 0 0 10 20 40 KELLOGG 77 43 78 46 72 44 / 0 0 0 10 10 30 MOSES LAKE 76 41 81 48 73 47 / 0 0 0 10 20 10 WENATCHEE 74 47 80 51 71 49 / 0 0 10 20 20 10 OMAK 77 43 79 44 72 44 / 0 0 0 20 30 20 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...NONE. WA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 556 AM PDT THU SEP 29 2011 IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>038-041>044-301300- NORTHERN PANHANDLE-COEUR D'ALENE 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-OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-WENATCHEE AREA- EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-OKANOGAN VALLEY-WATERVILLE PLATEAU- 556 AM PDT THU SEP 29 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH IDAHO... NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...CENTRAL WASHINGTON...EAST CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
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 Idaho in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, September 2011
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: 344748.