A fire started by lightning on August 28th grew to 420 acres and destroyed 2 homes about 20 miles west of Montpelier.
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 PIH wrote it up.
A fire started by lightning on August 28th grew to 420 acres and destroyed 2 homes about 20 miles west of Montpelier.
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 Pocatello, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 28, 9:16 AM MST, 3 hours 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 1016 AM MDT TUE AUG 28 2012 .UPDATE...UPDATES THIS MORNING LIMITED TO WINDS OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. THE 12Z NAM SUPPORTS WIND GUSTS OF 25 TO 30 MPH OVER THE RIDGE TOPS BEGINNING AROUND NOON TODAY....SIGNIFICANT CONSIDERING THE ONGOING FIRE SITUATION. PRESENT TIMING OF THE SURFACE FRONT PUTS IT ABOUT SALMON JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...BUT LEE SIDE TROUGHING EFFECTS IN WESTERN MONTANA WITH EXTENSION OF WIND EFFECTS REACHING IN THE CENTRAL IDAHO MOUNTAINS AS EARLY AS NOON TODAY RAISES THE CONCERN. RED FLAG WARNINGS WERE ISSUED FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 475 AND 476. RS && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 330 AM MDT TUE AUG 28 2012/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS DRY AIR MOVING OVER THE AREA IN SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH. EXPECT INCREASED WINDS AND RECORD TEMPERATURES TODAY ACROSS THE AREA. EXPECT WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH ACROSS THE AREA AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES OVER NORTHERN IDAHO ON WEDNESDAY. THE FLOW WILL BECOME ZONAL EARLY THURSDAY BEFORE BECOMING SOUTHWEST AGAIN AHEAD OF ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH. MODELS ARE SHOWING MOISTURE BEING DRAWN UP IN OUR SOUTHEAST AREAS THURSDAY NIGHT AND MOVING OVER THE MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST ARE BY FRIDAY NIGHT. EXPECT CONTINUED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY MAINLY OVER THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS ON SATURDAY BEFORE DRY AIR MOVES INTO THE AREA IN ZONAL FLOW BY SUNDAY. THURSDAY THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD LOOK FOR COOLER TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA THOUGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. WYATT LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. EXPECT DRIER CONDITIONS AND SLIGHT WARMING IN ZONAL FLOW ON SUNDAY. EXPECT SOUTHWEST FLOW ON MONDAY AHEAD OF THE NEXT UPPER LEVEL TROUGH EXPECTED TO COME THROUGH ON TUESDAY. EXPECT CONTINUED GRADUAL WARMING ON MONDAY BEFORE COOLING DOWN SLIGHTLY ON TUESDAY. WYATT AVIATION...AN UPPER TROF MOVING INTO THE PAC NW TONIGHT WILL INCREASE THE SW FLOW ALOFT OVER ID TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS WILL MAINTAIN THE DRY AIRMASS AND VFR CONDITIONS THRU TONIGHT. THE EXCEPTION BEING KSUN WHICH MAY SEE SOME VIS RESTRICTIONS THIS MORNING DUE TO SMOKE. HEDGES FIRE WEATHER...AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES APPROACHES THE PAC NW COAST TODAY...SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL INCREASE IS SPEED. THIS WILL RESULT IN STRONGER WINDS IN THE CENTRAL IDAHO MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY AT RIDGETOPS. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO NEAR RED FLAG SPEEDS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...BUT SHOULD CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE NIGHT. OVERNIGHT HUMIDITIES TONIGHT WILL LIKELY REMAIN LOW IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. VERY DRY AIR WILL REMAIN OVER THE ENTIRE REGION ON WEDNESDAY. STRONGER WINDS ARE EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT. THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL CREATE A SIGNIFICANT FIRE DANGER LATE TUESDAY NIGHT IN THE CENTRAL IDAHO MOUNTAINS...AND ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY. CONDITIONS WILL SETTLE DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK ALONG WITH COOLER TEMPS. THE AIRMASS WILL REMAIN DRY. HEDGES AIR STAGNATION...SOUTHWEST FLOW HAS IMPROVED AIR QUALITY OVER MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA CONFINING REDUCED AIR QUALITY TO AREAS NORTHEAST OF THE TRINITY RIDGE...HALSTEAD AND MUSTANG FIRES. AIR QUALITY WILL DETERIORATE EVEN MORE NORTHEAST OF THESE FIRES TODAY AND WEDNESDAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT CREATE GUSTY WINDS FAVORING FIRE GROWTH. WYATT && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING IDZ409>411-413. RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MDT WEDNESDAY IDZ475-476. FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON IDZ477. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 1044 AM MDT TUE AUG 28 2012 IDZ017>025-031-032-291230- EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY-SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS-UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS- UPPER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN-LOWER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN- SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-CARIBOU HIGHLANDS- CACHE VALLEY/IDAHO PORTION-WASATCH MOUNTAINS/IDAHO PORTION- BIG AND LITTLE WOOD RIVER REGION-LOST RIVER/PAHSIMEROI- 1044 AM MDT TUE AUG 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SMOKE WILL CONTINUE TO REDUCE VISIBILITIES ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. AIR QUALITY ALERTS REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE FOR BLAINE AND CUSTER COUNTIES. BREEZY SOUTHWEST WINDS COMBINED WITH HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING WILL BRING RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES TO MOST OF THE AREA TODAY. GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL IDAHO RESULTED IN A RED FLAG WARNING BEING ISSUED. PLEASE REFER TO BOIRFWPIH FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A MOSTLY DRY STORM SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. A FEW STORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE SOUTHEAST CORNER NEAR BEAR LAKE AND SODA SPRINGS...OTHERWISE EXPECT VERY DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS BOTH OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND IN THE SNAKE PLAIN. CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND SPREADING ACROSS ALL AREAS EXCEPT THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS WEDNESDAY. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH HAS BEEN CONTINUED FOR THE SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS...SNAKE PLAIN AND PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS. A WIND ADVISORY IS POSSIBLY NEEDED FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PORTIONS OF THE SNAKE PLAIN AND HIGHLANDS. PLEASE REFER TO BOIRFWPIH FOR DETAILS. THURSDAY EARLY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY EARLY EVENING LOOK FOR A RETURN OF MONSOON MOISTURE WHICH WILL BRING ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WE ASK TRAINED SPOTTERS AND CITIZENS TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO. THESE CONDITIONS MAY INCLUDE HAIL...TORNADOES...STRONG WIND...DUST STORMS...SNOWFALL... EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES...FREEZING RAIN OR HEAVY RAIN...DENSE FOG...AND FLOODING OR ICE JAMS. INFORMATION ABOUT THESE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS SHOULD BE CALLED INTO YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN POCATELLO USING THE 1-800 SEVERE WEATHER HOTLINE...OR 208-233-0834.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A fire started by lightning on August 28th grew to 420 acres and destroyed 2 homes about 20 miles west of Montpelier. Several temporary evacuations were ordered in the mountainous terrain.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, August 2012
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: 411122.