The Riffle Wildfire started on 09/16/2013 in southeast Lake County. The cause was under investigation.
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The episode as NWS MFR wrote it up.
The Riffle Wildfire started on 09/16/2013 in southeast Lake County. The cause was under investigation.
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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 15, 8:11 PM PST, 3 hours 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 911 PM PDT SUN SEP 15 2013 .SHORT TERM...AN UPPER TROUGH IS NOW CENTERED TO THE NORTH OFF THE COAST OF WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN OREGON. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY STAYED NORTH AND EAST OF THE CWA THIS EVENING. A FEW VERY LIGHT SHOWERS REMAIN POSSIBLE MAINLY ALONG THE COAST AND INTO THE CASCADES TONIGHT. HOWEVER, OVERALL EXPECT DRY CONDITIONS TONIGHT AS THE TROUGH REMAINS TO THE NORTH. WINDS HAVE ALSO LOWERED FOR MOST AREAS THIS EVENING AND EXPECT WINDS TO CONTINUE TO DECREASE TONIGHT. LOW TO MID CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO FILL IN FOR LOCATIONS FROM THE CASCADES WEST OVER SOUTHERN OREGON TONIGHT, WITH SOME CLOUDS SPREADING POSSIBLY INTO EAST SIDE LOCATIONS. THESE LOW TO MID CLOUDS WILL PERSIST INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING WITH CLEARING IN THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON FOR MOST AREAS EXCEPT NEAR THE COAST AND INTO NORTHWEST DOUGLAS COUNTY. ON MONDAY EXPECT DRY WEATHER AND MILD TEMPERATURES. THEN MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW ANOTHER TROUGH APPROACHING MONDAY NIGHT AND MOVING INLAND ON TUESDAY. AS THIS TROUGH PUSHES INLAND OVER THE AREA TUESDAY, IT IS EXPECTED TO BRING RAIN SHOWERS FOR MANY LOCATIONS WITH A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF THE CASCADES. ALTHOUGH THE STABILITY PARAMETERS ONLY INDICATE WEAK INSTABILITY OVER THE AREA, THE DYNAMICS OF THE SYSTEM MAY BE ENOUGH TO PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FOR SOME LOCATIONS, ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE CASCADES WHERE THERE IS GOOD MID LEVEL CONVERGENCE, SUCH AS FOR PORTIONS OF MODOC AND LAKE COUNTIES. && .AVIATION...EXPECT WIDESPREAD IFR CIGS TO DEVELOP ALONG THE COAST AND IN THE UMPQUA BASIN TONIGHT. MVFR CEILINGS WILL FORM ACROSS MOST WEST SIDE VALLEYS BY SUNRISE AND SOME PATCHY FOG AND/OR LOW CLOUDS COULD FORM NEAR LAKES, RIVERS, AND MARSHES EAST TO UPPER KLAMATH BASIN. EXPECT TERRAIN OBSCURATIONS FROM THE OREGON CASCADES, SISKIYOUS, AND MARBLE MOUNTAINS WESTWARD EARLY MONDAY MORNING. BY LATE MORNING EXPECT LOW CLOUD COVER TO DISSIPATE EXCEPT ALONG THE COAST AND IN THE UMPQUA BASIN, WHERE IT IS LIKELY TO TAKE UNTIL SOMETIME IN THE AFTERNOON TO BREAK. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 234 PM PDT SUN SEP 15 2013/ DISCUSSION...OVERALL CONFIDENCE IN THE FORECAST IS GOOD UNTIL THIS WEEKEND...AT WHICH POINT MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE IN TIMING...AND BY THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD BECOME WELL OUT OF PHASE. WHILE CONFIDENCE IS HIGH ION LOWER TEMPERATURES AND NUMEROUS CHANCES FOR RAIN...ESPECIALLY THIS WEEKEND...THERE IS STILL A FAIR BIT OF UNCERTAINTY REGARDING TIMING AND EXACT STRENGTH OF THE MAJOR FEATURES IN THE LONG TERM. HAVE TRENDED THE FORECAST TO A BLEND OF THE EC AND GFS...WITH A LEAN TOWARDS THE GFS IN THE EXTENDED. THE FIRST OF SEVERAL SYSTEMS IS MOVING ONSHORE CURRENTLY...BUT IS NOT PRODUCING MUCH IN THE WAY OF PRECIPITATION. HOWEVER...COLDER AIR HAS MOVED INTO THE AREA...AND TEMPERATURES WILL COOL TO VALUES MORE LIKE WHAT WE WOULD EXPECT THIS TIME OF YEAR. NEAR TO BELOW SEASONAL NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN IN THE AREA THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. RADAR SHOWS A FEW THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED JUST EAST OF THE AREA...AND MODEL INSTABILITY FIELDS SHOW A PEAK THIS EVENING...ROUGHLY FROM CRATER LAKE NORTH AND EAST THROUGH KLAMATH AND LAKE COUNTIES. AS THE NEGATIVELY TILTED UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SWINGS NORTH AND EAST THROUGH THE REGION...SOME CONVECTION COULD STILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING IN THOSE AREAS. STRONG MID-LEVEL WINDS AHEAD OF THE TROUGH WILL ALSO MIX DOWN ON THE EAST SIDE...AS EVIDENCED BY GUSTS OF OVER 25 TO 30 MPG ALREADY MEASURED BY SEVERAL STATIONS. WINDS WILL ALSO BE GUSTY IN THE SOUTHERN SHASTA VALLEY UNTIL THE TROUGH AXIS SWINGS THROUGH AND THE WINDS SHIFT TO THE WEST. THE NEXT SYSTEM IS DUE LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. UNTIL THAT TIME...ONSHORE FLOW IN THE LOW LEVELS AND CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP A LINGERING CHANCE OF LIGHT SHOWERS AND DRIZZLE ALONG THE COAST...AND WILL ASSIST IN PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT MARINE LAYER INTRUSIONS INTO THE COASTAL VALLEYS AND UMPQUA BASIN. THIS TROUGH AXIS WILL SWING THROUGH TUESDAY...AND MODEL SOLUTIONS SHOW A BIT OF SHORTWAVE REINFORCEMENT DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WHICH SHOULD HELP TO ENHANCE PRECIPITATION COVERAGE. IN FACT...THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS FROM THE CASCADES WEST. PORTIONS OF THE EAST SIDE COULD ALSO SEE SHOWERS AND EVEN A THUNDERSTORM DURING THE AFTERNOON. RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN MANY PLACES COULD BE ENOUGH TO SIGNIFICANTLY DAMPEN FIRE CONCERNS...BUT THE BEST CHANCE FOR THIS WILL BE DURING THE WEEKEND...WHEN THE MORE ROBUST RAINMAKER IS FORECAST TO IMPACT THE REGION. A RIDGE WILL BUILD IN BEHIND THE SYSTEM MIDWEEK...AND AMPLIFY AS IT SLOWLY MOVES EAST THURSDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR A BREAK IN THE ACTION...MEANING CLEARER SKIES...WARMER TEMPERATURES...AND DRY CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. IT IS PAST THIS POINT THAT THE MODELS BEGIN TO HAVE A BIT OF TROUBLE...MOSTLY CONCERNING THE TIMING OF THE LARGE AND POTENT FRONTAL SYSTEM THAT WILL BE THE MAJOR FEATURE OF THE WEEKEND. WHILE THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY IN TIMING...AND MODELS HAVE HAD A TENDENCY TO SLOW THE TROUGH DOWN A BIT RUN-TO- RUN...THERE IS RATHER GOOD CONFIDENCE THAT THE FIRST BIG RAIN EVENT OF THE SEASON WILL OCCUR THIS WEEKEND...AND THIS WILL BE THE DAY WITH THE BEST CHANCE TO RESULT IN FIRE SEASON ENDING RAINFALL FOR NEARLY THE ENTIRE AREA. HAVE UPDATED POPS TO REFLECT THE SYSTEM ENTERING THE REGION ON A LATER TIMETABLE THAN THE PREVIOUS FORECAST...AND KEPT SLIGHT TO CHANCE POPS IN THE AREA THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. THE EC THEN PRODUCES A RIDGE TO ROUND OUT THE FORECAST PERIOD...WHILE THE GFS PREPS ANOTHER TROUGH AND FRONT TO POSSIBLY MOVE IN MONDAY. CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN THIS FEATURE...SO HAVE NOT ADDED MUCH IN THE WAY OF POPS AT THIS TIME. && .MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...NONE. CA...NONE. PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...NONE. CC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The last report on the Riffle wildfire stated that it covered 1007 acres and was 90% contained. Estimated containment date was 09/21/13. 200,000 dollars were spend on firefighting efforts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, September 2013
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: 471152.