This complex consisted of around 17 fires started by lightning on 08/12/2014 at around 0100 PDT. As of 9/01/2014, the fire covered 62876 acres and was 15% contained.
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 MFR wrote it up.
This complex consisted of around 17 fires started by lightning on 08/12/2014 at around 0100 PDT. As of 9/01/2014, the fire covered 62876 acres and was 15% contained. 31.9 million dollars had been spent on firefighting efforts.
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 Aug 12, 12:00 AM PST, 1 hour earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
100 AM PDT TUE AUG 12 2014
.DISCUSSION...12/00Z NAM/GFS IN.
ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS DISSIPATED...BUT OTHERS MAY
FORM LATER THIS MORNING. THERE WILL BE AT LEAST TWO MORE DAYS OF
ACTIVITY.
A CUTOFF LOW REMAINS OFF THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST THIS
MORNING...AND A LONG WAVE TROUGH IS NOW NEAR 135W. MOIST SOUTHERLY
FLOW ALOFT PERSISTS OVER THE AREA...SO MOISTURE FOR THUNDERSTORMS
WILL CONTINUE TO BE ADVECTED INTO THE MEDFORD CWA.
TUESDAY LOOKS TO BE ANOTHER HOT DAY WITH SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND
EVENING THUNDERSTORMS. THE INCOMING LONG WAVE TROUGH WILL ABSORB
THE CUTOFF AND THE REMNANTS OF IT WILL MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE
MEDFORD CWA AS A SHORT WAVE TUESDAY. DUE TO INCREASING
MOISTURE...EXPECT THESE THUNDERSTORMS TO BE WETTER. SOME MAY
BECOME SEVERE. A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH 11 PM
PDT TUESDAY FOR ALL OF THE MEDFORD CWA EXCEPT FOR THE
COAST...COAST RANGE...AND MOUNT SHASTA AREA. THE RED FLAG WARNING
FOR THOSE AREAS WILL EXPIRE LATER THIS MORNING.
THE TROUGH WILL MOVE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY WITH A
CLOSED LOW ALOFT OVER WESTERN OREGON. THIS WILL BRING IN
SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER AIR TO THE AREA. THIS TYPE OF PATTERN WOULD
NORMALLY SUPPORT SHOWER ACTIVITY BUT NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF
THUNDERSTORMS. THE NAM12 SUGGESTS SIGNIFICANT INSTABILITY ON
WEDNESDAY BUT THE GFS...WHICH HAS BEEN MORE RELIABLE
LATELY...SUGGESTS A MORE STABLE REGIME. HOWEVER...SOME ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP OVER THE CASCADE CREST
WEDNESDAY...MOVING UP INTO NORTHERN KLAMATH AND LAKE COUNTIES
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING.
THE UPPER LOW WILL SLOWLY HEAD NORTHEAST AND WILL MOVE OVER
WASHINGTON STATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON. FLOW ALOFT WILL BECOME WEST
TO NORTH OVER THE AREA AND THIS WILL MAKE FOR A MORE STABLE
REGIME. THERE MAY BE SOME SHOWERS THAT DAY BUT NO THUNDERSTORMS.
A WEAK RIDGE WILL BUILD IN FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THERE WILL
BE SOME WEAK SHORT WAVES EMBEDDED IN THE FLOW...BUT OVERALL 500MB
HEIGHTS WILL CLIMB UNSTEADILY. EXPECT DRY CONDITIONS WITH A
WARMING TREND. TEMPERATURES WILL RISE TO ABOVE NORMAL VALUES
FRIDAY ON THE WEST SIDE AND SATURDAY ON THE EAST SIDE...AND WILL
CONTINUE TO RISE 1-3 DEGREES A DAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...THEN
LEVEL OFF NEXT MONDAY.
&&
.AVIATION...BASED ON THE 12/06Z TAF CYCLE...IFR CEILINGS PERSIST
ALONG THE COAST AND ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER TO LIFR LATE
TONIGHT...WITH IFR CIGS LIKELY TO CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY
AFTERNOON. COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAS DIMINISHED BUT
NOT ENDED ENTIRELY OVERNIGHT...AND CONVECTION SHOULD CONTINUE
THROUGH THE MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON. EXPECT ANOTHER BOUT OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SMOKE FROM
AREA WILDFIRES WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT VISIBILITY IN SOME AREAS
THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. -BPN
&&
.MARINE...UPDATED 830 PM PDT MON 11 AUG 2014...A MODERATE
NORTHWEST SWELL WILL REMAIN DOMINANT WITH SEAS REMAINING MODERATE
INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL RETURN
THURSDAY...RETURNING A MIX OF WESTERLY SWELL AND WIND
CHOP...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF CAPE BLANCO.
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR ORZ616-617-620>625.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 5 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR ORZ615-618-619.
CA...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR CAZ280-281-284-285.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 5 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR CAZ282.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...NONE.
15/15/17The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
This complex consisted of around 17 fires started by lightning on 08/12/2014 at around 0100 PDT. As of 9/01/2014, the fire covered 62876 acres and was 15% contained. 31.9 million dollars had been spent on firefighting efforts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2014
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: 528913.