High pressure over the region resulted in an extended period of hot, dry conditions over central Washington. This allowed fine fuels to cure over the Waterville Plateau fostering in the beginning of the fire weather season across the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
High pressure over the region resulted in an extended period of hot, dry conditions over central Washington. This allowed fine fuels to cure over the Waterville Plateau fostering in the beginning of the fire weather season across the area.
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 Jul 10, 10:02 AM PST, 58 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 1102 AM PDT Tue Jul 10 2012 .SYNOPSIS... Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms with well above normal temperatures can be expected again today and this evening. Then very warm and dry through early Friday. Another weather system is expected for the weekend for a chance of more thunderstorms and continued warm temperatures. && .DISCUSSION... Updated the forecast to adjust for convection. The remains of a mid level disturbance linger over northeast Washington and is responsible for the scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms east of Republic to Bonners Ferry this morning. This activity will gradually shift to the northeast and weaken through the morning. Another area of convection will slip southeast of the Camas prairie and the central ID panhandle this morning. Otherwise expect morning sunshine and temperatures running similar to yesterday in most areas. Afternoon surface based convection is expected over the ID panhandle and into northeast Washington. But with drier and more stable air moving in from the west, anticipate the coverage to be confined in the eastern zones. rfox. && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS: Residual instability and moisture will produce isolated thunderstorms over the mountains north and east of the Columbia Basin today and this evening. Dry air wil overspread the region from west to east today and produce mostly clear VFR conditions at all TAF sites through 18Z Wednesday. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 91 63 91 63 93 65 / 10 10 0 0 0 10 Coeur d'Alene 90 61 89 59 91 60 / 20 20 10 0 0 10 Pullman 89 56 89 58 93 57 / 20 10 0 0 0 10 Lewiston 99 67 99 68 102 68 / 20 10 0 10 0 10 Colville 92 58 91 56 94 58 / 20 10 10 0 0 10 Sandpoint 88 56 87 55 89 54 / 30 30 10 10 0 10 Kellogg 91 57 89 56 91 56 / 50 30 10 10 0 10 Moses Lake 98 62 97 62 99 63 / 0 10 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 96 64 96 67 97 65 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Omak 98 62 97 62 97 60 / 10 10 0 0 0 10 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...&&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 656 AM PDT TUE JUL 10 2012 IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>038-041>044-111400- 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- 656 AM PDT TUE JUL 10 2012 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...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
855 AM PDT TUE JUL 10 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0715 AM TSTM WND DMG 4 E COLFAX 46.88N 117.28W
07/09/2012 WHITMAN WA COUNTY OFFICIAL
NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND DAMAGE TO BARN AND SHED AT A
FAMILY FARM NEAR COLFAX.
0715 AM TSTM WND DMG 6 NE COLFAX 46.95N 117.27W
07/09/2012 WHITMAN WA COUNTY OFFICIAL
ROOF TORN OFF BARN
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Cashe Butte wildfire ignited in the remote Barker Canyon area. Firefighters had to ferry across Banks Lake to reach the flames. The fire burned 470 acres before it was contained on July 12th. No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.
The Foster Creek wildfire ignited late on July 12th along Highway 17 near milepost 132. The fire was aided by thunderstorm outflow winds on July 15th that fanned flames across containment lines. The fire ignited and toppled a power pole around 1830PST on July 13th, which cut off power to 400 customers in the area. Power to these customers was restored around 0430PST the following day. Bridgeport Hill Road was closed for a five hour period due to poor visibility from smoke. Wet conditions helped to suppress fire activity with containment reported during the morning hours of July 19th, but not before the fire burned a total of 1,291 acres. No structures were damaged, but some wheat fields were burned to an unknown extent. Damages were estimated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, July 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: 392143, 392089.