Many fires burned in Baker County on the 13th through the 14th and were started by lightning.
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 BOI wrote it up.
Many fires burned in Baker County on the 13th through the 14th and were started by lightning.
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 Boise, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 13, 9:02 AM MST, 3 hours 58 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID
1002 AM MDT THU AUG 13 2015
.DISCUSSION...ISOLATED STORMS FIRED UP THIS MORNING IN THE WESTERN
MAGIC VALLEY...AND MORE ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON IN THE MTNS
NORTH OF THERE. THE HEAT IS STILL ON...SO TO SPEAK...WITH NEAR
RECORD HIGHS OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. WINDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH
THE DAY AS WELL...IN ADVANCE OF LARGE AND STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW
CURRENTLY CENTERED OFF THE COAST OF NRN CA. FIRE WEATHER PRODUCTS
HAVE BEEN UPGRADED/ADDED FOR THE NEXT 36 HOURS AS WE EXPECT A
SIGNIFICANT FIRE WEATHER RISK TO DEVELOP. CHANGES TO THE FORECAST
THIS MORNING INCLUDE INCREASING THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS
FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE BOISE AND WEST CENTRAL MTNS. LATEST
INDICATIONS POINT TO SCATTERED STORMS IN THOSE AREAS. A SHORT WAVE
IS APPARENT IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY MOVING NORTH INTO THE
AREA...RIGHT ALONG THE OREGON/IDAHO BORDER SOUTH OF ONTARIO. THIS
WILL MOVE NORTH- NORTHEAST AND INTERACT WITH MOISTURE IN THE MTNS
TODAY. AN ADDITIONAL IMPULSE IS FORECAST FOR THE OVERNIGHT
HOURS...PROMPTING THE ISSUANCE OF A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR MOST OF
THE AREA OVERNIGHT. UPDATED ZONES WERE ISSUED ABOUT AN HOUR AGO.
NO ADDITIONAL UPDATE AT THIS TIME.
&&
.AVIATION...VFR WILL PREVAIL. SMOKE FROM WILDFIRES MAY PRODUCE
MVFR CONDITIONS IN THE LOWER TREASURE VALLEY AND BAKER VALLEY.
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS KJER AND KTWF AREAS TODAY. SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AFTER 18Z IN THE BOISE MOUNTAINS AND
WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS INCLUDING KMYL WITH LOCAL MOUNTAIN
OBSCURATION. SURFACE WINDS LIGHT SOUTHEAST IN THE MORNING BECOMING
GUSTY SOUTHERLY 10- 20KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDS ALOFT AT 10K FT
MSL...SOUTHERLY 15-25KT.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...
SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY...SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF A
CLOSED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE WEST COAST WILL PROVIDE ANOTHER
DAY OF HOT TEMPERATURES. FORECAST HIGH IN BOISE IS 103F...RECORD
IS 104 SET IN 1963. A DRY SLOT REMAINS OVER SE OREGON. PORTIONS
OF SW IDAHO...MAINLY IN THE BOISE/WEST CENTRAL MTNS...WILL HAVE
ENOUGH MOISTURE/INSTABILITY TO SUPPORT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. GUSTY WINDS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON
AHEAD OF THE LOW...ESPECIALLY IN SE OREGON. MONSOON MOISTURE
WILL SURGE NORTHWARD OUT OF NEVADA TONIGHT AS THE UPPER LOW OFF
THE COAST TRACKS NE TOWARD THE PACNW. MODELS AGREE THAT SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL ACCOMPANY THE MOISTURE
SURGE LATE TONIGHT. THE UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK NE INTO
WASHINGTON ON FRIDAY. THE SYSTEM WILL SEND A COLD FRONT THROUGH
OUR AREA ON FRIDAY...WITH BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS
DEVELOPING IN THE AFTERNOON. DRIER AIR WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THE
FRONT...ENDING THE CONVECTION FOR MOST OF SE OREGON IN THE MORNING
AND MOST OF SW IDAHO BY LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. COOLER AIR WILL
START TO WORK IN BEHIND THE FRONT AS TEMPERATURES WILL BE DOWN
4-8 DEGREES IN SW IDAHO AND 8-12 DEGREES IN SE OREGON. SMOKE FROM
WILDFIRES WILL LOCALLY REDUCE VISIBILITIES...MAINLY IN THE LOWER
TREASURE VALLEY AND BAKER VALLEY.
LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...UPPER TROUGH IS
FORECAST TO SLOWLY FILL AND MOVE NORTH OF MONTANA FRIDAY NIGHT AND
SATURDAY...LEAVING ZONAL FLOW IN OUR AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND
SUNDAY. A NEW UPPER LOW FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA IS FORECAST TO
MOVE INTO OUR AREA TUESDAY WITH BREEZY AND MUCH COOLER AIR. ZONAL
FLOW WITH NORMAL TEMPS AGAIN WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. EXCEPT FOR A
SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY IN THE IDAHO
MOUNTAINS NEAR THE UPPER LOW...DRY WX SHOULD PREVAIL THROUGH THE
PERIOD.
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY
MORNING IDZ400>403-420-421-423-424-426.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING IDZ402-403-421.
RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON FRIDAY TO MIDNIGHT MDT FRIDAY NIGHT
IDZ423.
OR...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM 6 PM MDT /5 PM PDT/ THIS EVENING THROUGH
FRIDAY MORNING ORZ637-646.
RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON FRIDAY TO MIDNIGHT MDT FRIDAY NIGHT
ORZ637.
&&
WEATHER.GOV/BOISE
DISCUSSION...SP
AVIATION.....TL
PREV SHORT TERM...BW
PREV LONG TERM....LCThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Wildfires were reported in many areas of Baker County and were caused by lightning. Evacuations were ordered and many roads, including Interstate 84, were closed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, August 2015
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: 600439.