A human caused wildfire, which started near Highway 97, burned 3600 acres 12 miles northeast of Goldendale. The fire also destroyed 100 structures including 29 residences.
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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 PDT wrote it up.
A human caused wildfire, which started near Highway 97, burned 3600 acres 12 miles northeast of Goldendale. The fire also destroyed 100 structures including 29 residences.
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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 7, 9:49 AM PST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR 1049 AM PDT WED SEP 7 2011 UPDATED TO ADD FIRE WEATHER DISCUSSION .UPDATE...UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE IS NEARING 130W AS WEAKER LOW IS PUSHING INTO SOUTHERN OREGON WITH MID AND HIGHER LEVEL CLOUDS ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHEAST OREGON. THE WEAK LOW IS EXPECTED TO PUSH ACROSS SOUTHERN OREGON THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL TRIGGER SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL OREGON AND THE OCHOCO/JOHN DAY HIGHLANDS. HAVE REMOVED THE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD AS THE UPPER LOW IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN FURTHER SOUTH OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. HIGH TEMPERATURES LOOK ON TRACK FOR TODAY ABOUT 3 DEGREES WARMER THAN TUESDAY AND HAVE ADJUSTED CLOUD COVER FOR TODAY. ML && .AVIATION...18Z TAFS. MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS WILL INCREASE OVER EASTERN OR/WA THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT. AFTER MIDNIGHT...SKIES WILL BE BKN-OVC AROUND 15-18,000 FEET WITH ANOTHER LAYER OF HIGH LEVEL CIRRUS. THE VCTS FOR KRDM AND KBDN WAS REMOVED FROM THE FORECAST...BUT THERE WILL LIKELY BE BUILDUPS IN CENTRAL OREGON THIS AFTERNOON WITH A POSSIBLE CB AT THESE TWO AIRPORTS. SMOKE AND HAZE WILL CONTINUE OVER THE AREA BUT THE VISIBILITIES SHOULD NOT BE LOW ENOUGH TO GO BELOW P6SM. WINDS WILL BE LESS THAN 12 KNOTS FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. JOHNSON && .FIRE WEATHER...SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TOMORROW BUT THE PRIMARY CONCERN WILL BE EFFECTS GENERATED BY AN APPROACHING THERMAL TROUGH. THE THERMAL TROUGH WILL MAINLY REMAIN WEST OF THE CASCADES TODAY BUT STILL BE CLOSE ENOUGH PROXIMITY TO INDUCE STRONG NEAR SURFACE INSTABILITY TOWARD THE CASCADES. THIS WILL AID IN RAPID VENTILATION AND COULD RESULT IN PLUME DOMINATED BEHAVIOR FOR EXISTING FIRES TYPICALLY LOCATED IN MODERATE TO HEAVY FUELS. THE THREAT IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT FURTHER EAST THURSDAY AND COVER A LARGE PART OF NORTHEAST OREGON AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON. HUMIDITY WILL BE VERY LOW ALONG WITH HIGH HAINES VALUES OF 5 AND STABILITY COMPONENT OF 3 FURTHER ENHANCING PLUME DOMINATED POTENTIAL. ESTABLISHED CRITERIA PRECLUDES THE ISSUANCE OF A RED FLAG WARNING, HOWEVER, SINCE HIGH HAINES WILL NOT REACH WIDESPREAD 6'S DUE TO POCKETS OF MID-LEVEL MOISTURE. REGARDLESS, THIS IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT SITUATION. /JBONK && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 220 AM PDT WED SEP 7 2011/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE AREA WILL MAINTAIN WARM TEMPERATURES THE NEXT FEW DAYS. HIGHS WILL CONTINUE IN THE 80S TO MID 90S. HUMIDITIES WILL REMAIN LOW AS THE AIRMASS IS DRY. SATELLITE SHOWS A WEAK CIRCULATION CENTER OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST. THIS WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN OREGON LATE TODAY INTO THURSDAY. WEAK INSTABILITY OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON MAY RESULT IN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. IF STORMS DEVELOP THEY WOULD LIKELY BE HIGH BASED WITH LITTLE PRECIPITATION. POSITION OF THE SURFACE THERMAL TROUGH WILL GIVE NORTH NORTHEAST WINDS 5-15 MPH. 94 LONG TERM...FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY...MEDIUM TO LONG RANGE MODELS SHOW AN UPPER RIDGE TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EXTENDED PERIOD. THERE IS A HINT OF SOME INSTABILITY IN THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA EACH AFTERNOON... BUT THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE WILL LIKELY BE TOO HOT AND TOO DRY TO SUPPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT OF AFTERNOON OR EVENING THUNDERSTORMS. HOWEVER CANNOT RULE THEM OUT COMPLETELY...ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY WHEN THE INSTABILITY IS THE GREATEST. 850 MB TEMPERATURES WILL APPROACH 24 TO 28 DEGREES DURING THE PERIOD WITH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BEING THE HOTTEST DAYS. IF IT WAS JULY OR AUGUST COULD REASONABLY PREDICT 100 DEGREE MAX TEMPERATURE READINGS. HOWEVER... AT THIS TIME OF YEAR...APPROACHING MID SEPTEMBER...THE NIGHTS ARE BECOMING TOO LONG WITH STRONGER INVERSIONS THAT NEED TO BE BROKEN BEFORE THE TEMPERATURES CAN REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. AS SUCH AM NOT EXPECTING 100 DEGREE TEMPERATURES ANYWHERE...EXCEPT POSSIBLY THE HOTTEST LOCATIONS OF THE LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN AND MAYBE HELLS CANYON BOTTOM. HOWEVER...TEMPS WILL BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EXTENDED PERIOD IN ALL AREAS. 88 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 94 56 94 56 / 0 0 10 10 ALW 95 59 95 60 / 0 0 0 0 PSC 95 52 96 54 / 0 0 0 0 YKM 93 53 95 54 / 0 0 0 0 HRI 96 52 95 53 / 0 0 0 0 ELN 95 49 97 51 / 0 0 0 0 RDM 94 48 92 46 / 20 20 20 20 LGD 93 47 93 46 / 10 10 10 10 GCD 92 48 93 48 / 20 20 20 20 DLS 97 53 97 55 / 10 10 10 10 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...NONE. WA...NONE. && THREAT INDEX TODAY : GREEN THURSDAY : GREEN FRIDAY : GREEN GREEN: NONE OR LIMITED NEED FOR WATCHES, WARNINGS, OR ADVISORIES. YELLOW: A FEW WATCHES, WARNINGS, OR ADVISORIES POSSIBLE OR IN EFFECT. RED: NUMEROUS WATCHES, WARNINGS, OR ADVISORIES POSSIBLE OR IN EFFECT. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT... WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON 93/85/87
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
501 AM PDT WED SEP 7 2011
ORZ041-042-044-049-050-502-503-505>509-WAZ024-026>030-520-521-
081215-
EASTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE OF OREGON-NORTH CENTRAL OREGON-
LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF OREGON-GRANDE RONDE VALLEY-WALLOWA COUNTY-
NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-
SOUTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-JOHN DAY BASIN-OCHOCO-
JOHN DAY HIGHLANDS-
FOOTHILLS OF THE NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-
FOOTHILLS OF THE SOUTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-
EAST SLOPES OF THE OREGON CASCADES-
EASTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE OF WASHINGTON-KITTITAS VALLEY-
YAKIMA VALLEY-LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF WASHINGTON-
FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON-
NORTHWEST BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON-
EAST SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES-SIMCOE HIGHLANDS-
501 AM PDT WED SEP 7 2011
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON
AS WELL AS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
THUNDERSTORMS
NORTH CENTRAL OREGON, EAST SLOPES OF THE OREGON CASCADES,
SOUTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON, FOOTHILLS OF THE SOUTHERN
BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON, JOHN DAY BASIN, OCHOCO-JOHN DAY
HIGHLANDS
A WEAK DISTURBANCE MOVING TOWARD NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MAY RESULT
IN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON
LATE TODAY.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY
NORTH CENTRAL OREGON, EAST SLOPES OF THE OREGON CASCADES,
SOUTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON, FOOTHILLS OF THE SOUTHERN
BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON, JOHN DAY BASIN, OCHOCO-JOHN DAY
HIGHLANDS
A WEAK DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH THE AREA MAY RESULT IN ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON THURSDAY.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
GRAPHICAL FORECASTS OF WEATHER HAZARDS OUT TO SEVEN DAYS
ARE DISPLAYED ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT:
WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/PDT/CURRENTHAZARDS/HWO.HTML
ALL LETTERS IN THE ABOVE URL ARE LOWER CASE.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 Washington in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, 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: 335346.