Wildfire in Washington, July 20 to 31, 2015

Name: Wildfire in Washington, July 20 to 31, 2015
Start: 2015-07-20T11:30
End: 2015-07-31T23:59
Location: Washington

July 20 to 31, 2015 · NWS PDT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Blue Creek Fire started on Monday, July 20 at approximately 1230 in the afternoon. It is burning 8 miles east of Walla Walla, Washington in grass, brush and timber.

Where it happened

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.

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Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
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Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PDT wrote it up.

The Blue Creek Fire started on Monday, July 20 at approximately 1230 in the afternoon. It is burning 8 miles east of Walla Walla, Washington in grass, brush and timber. It is estimated to be 6,004 acres and is 95% contained. Acreage remains unchanged. One primary structure and 11 outbuilding have been destroyed. The fire was human caused and is under investigation.

What forecasters said that day

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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 20, 10:04 AM PST, 1 hour 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 10:04 AM PST, 1 hour 26 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1104 AM PDT MON JUL 20 2015

UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION

.UPDATE...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER IDAHO WAS PRODUCING A DRY
NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ACROSS OUR AREA AND THIS TREND WILL PERSIST FOR
THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. MINOR ADJUSTMENTS WERE DONE TO SKY COVER
AND AFTN HIGH TEMPS WHICH WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL TODAY. OTHER THAN
SOME BREEZY WINDS MAINLY THROUGH THE GORGE THE PRESENT SHORT TERM
FORECAST APPEARS ON TRACK.

.AVIATION...18Z TAFS. VFR CONDITIONS AND CLEAR SKIES WILL OCCUR AT
ALL TAF SITES OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. WESTERLY SUSTAINED WINDS
INCREASING THIS AFTERNOON TO 10-20 KTS. HOWEVER, SUSTAINED WINDS AT
KDLS WILL INCREASE TO 20-25 KTS BY 19Z WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH THIS
AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING.  POLAN

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...A DRY WESTERLY FLOW WILL BE OVER THE REGION...AND
SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL INCREASE TODAY AND REMAIN STRONG ON
TUESDAY. WESTERLY WINDS WILL THEREFORE INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH EACH
AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE COLUMBIA BASIN. COMBINED WITH LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITY...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE
POSSIBLE AND RED FLAG WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED THROUGH TUESDAY
EVENING FOR ZONES 639...641...AND 675. A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH WILL
THEN MOVE OVER THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...AND THERE WILL
BE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST OREGON WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY IMPACT
ZONES 642...644...AND 645. HOWEVER...CONFIDENCE IS LOW AT THIS
TIME...AND DO NOT FEEL THAT THE LOCAL AREA WILL SEE A SIGNIFICANT
THUNDERSTORM THREAT.  COBB

&&

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 401 AM PDT MON JUL 20 2015/

SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE
REGION WILL WEAKEN TODAY AND A STABLE WESTERLY FLOW WILL DEVELOP.
THIS WILL BRING IN SOME MARINE AIR FROM THE PACIFIC AND CAUSE
PRESSURE GRADIENTS TO INCREASE ALONG THE CASCADE EAST SLOPES. BREEZY
TO WINDY CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP TODAY AND TUESDAY AND COMBINE WITH
VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES TO CREATE CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS.
THEREFORE A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FROM NOON TODAY
UNTIL 8 PM TUESDAY FOR ALL OF THE LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN...BLUE
MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS...YAKIMA AND KITTITAS VALLEYS...NORTH CENTRAL
OREGON AND THE SIMCOE HIGHLANDS. IT WILL REMAIN DRY THOUGH THE
PERIOD WITH NO PRECIPITATION EXPECTED UNTIL PERHAPS LATE WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON AS AN UPPER TROUGH DIGS ALONG THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST.
TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL BE COOLER TODAY THAN ON SUNDAY AND THE
COOLING TREND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY. 88

LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH
WILL MOVE ACROSS WASHINGTON AND OREGON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY
WITH INCREASING MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY. THE TROUGH MAY TRIGGER A
FEW SHOWERS ALONG THE CASCADES AND NORTHEAST OREGON MOUNTAINS
WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THURSDAY MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL INCREASE
WHILE THE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH EASTERN WASHINGTON AND OREGON. THIS
INSTABILITY WILL COMBINE WITH OROGRAPHIC LIFT AND DAYTIME HEATING TO
TRIGGER MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WINDS WILL BECOME
BREEZY/WINDY BEHIND THE TROUGH ACROSS THE CWA AS STRONGER WINDS
ALOFT MIX TO THE SURFACE. FRIDAY WILL BE DRY DUE TO A DRY AND STABLE
WESTERLY FLOW. ANOTHER TROUGH WILL DEEPEN OFFSHORE SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY. THIS WILL INCREASE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY AGAIN ACROSS THE
AREA AND ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MOUNTAINS
IS POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING BOTH DAYS.  COONFIELD

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT  93  58  87  53 /   0   0   0   0
ALW  95  65  87  60 /   0   0   0   0
PSC  98  60  91  57 /   0   0   0   0
YKM  93  59  86  52 /   0   0   0   0
HRI  96  60  90  56 /   0   0   0   0
ELN  90  61  82  56 /   0   0   0   0
RDM  89  46  84  42 /   0   0   0   0
LGD  92  46  85  47 /  10   0   0   0
GCD  92  51  85  48 /  10   0   0   0
DLS  90  63  81  58 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR ORZ639-
     641.

WA...RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR WAZ639-
     641-675.

&&

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT...
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON

97/99/82/88/76

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Blue Mountain Foothills

When: July 20, 11:30 AM PST to July 31, 11:59 PM PST
Where: Blue Mountain Foothills forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service
Coordinates: 46.264, -118.193 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Inciweb.

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Washington in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, July 2015

Sources

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: 583715.