The Rail Fire, five miles west of Unity, Oregon, began on Sunday, July 31st. The cause is unknown and under investigation.
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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 PDT wrote it up.
The Rail Fire, five miles west of Unity, Oregon, began on Sunday, July 31st. The cause is unknown and under investigation. The majority of the fuel in this area is mixed conifer with dead lodgepole. Portions of this area are part of the 2002 Monument fire. Over many weeks, in spite of suppression effort by the Wallowa-Whitman and Malheur National Forests, the fire grew to 41,716 acres. On September 7, 2016 it was 95% contained.
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 Aug 31, 6:49 PM PST, 5 hours 11 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pendleton OR 749 PM PDT WED AUG 31 2016 .UPDATE...A south to southwest flow aloft continues over the region this evening. There has been some new convection over southern Union and Wallowa Counties that moved up from Baker County, Oregon during the past couple hours. These storms are producing only a few lightning strikes. Elsewhere convection has been kept to a minimum if any at all due to a stable lower atmosphere with just some mid and high clouds. Tonight will be fairly quiet with any convection this evening dissipating after dark. An upper trough over the eastern Pacific will continue to slowly shift eastward on Thursday and will broaden and become flatter on Thursday morning but then it will re-amplify during the afternoon and evening. A weather disturbance in the flow will bring increasing moisture into the forecast area with more clouds and a slight chance to chance of showers in the evening. The combination of increased clouds and the chance of showers will cause cooler temperatures Thursday and Friday into the weekend. Though the trough will move to the east by Saturday the flow will become west to northwest which will keep temperatures cooler than normal by about 10 degrees or so...but with drier conditions during the weekend. Current forecast looks to be on track with the latest trends in the models...satellite and radar imagery. 88 && .AVIATION...06Z TAFs...Generally VFR conditions will prevail at all TAF sites in the forecast area through the next 24 hours...though there could be some evening showers Thursday at all TAF sites. It will become locally breezy to windy at KDLS, KRDM and KBDN in the afternoon and evening Thursday with speeds mostly 15 to 25 kts at the most. Elsewhere winds will be light. 88 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 429 PM PDT WED AUG 31 2016/ SHORT TERM...Today through Saturday night...A broad upper level low and trough is located in the Golf of Alaska will move towards WA/OR today and Thursday. Short wave disturbances rotating around the base of the upper low will trigger showers, mainly over the WA Cascades through Saturday. Showers will develop along the Cascades this afternoon and evening. A few thunderstorms are possible this evening. The upper level trough will move inland Thursday afternoon/evening. It will trigger a few showers along the Cascades during the afternoon, and then spread showers across the rest of the CWA Thursday night and Friday. As the main trough axis moves across eastern WA and OR Friday afternoon thunderstorms are possible over most of the CWA. Breezy winds will develop in the Columbia Basin as stronger winds aloft mix to the surface Friday afternoon. It will slowly dry out Saturday behind the main trough, but another disturbance will move down the backside of the main trough and keep a few showers in the mountains Saturday. Cooler air aloft will move in with the trough. Temperatures will be well below normal Thursday through Saturday. Coonfield LONG TERM...Sunday through Wednesday. Unseasonably cool weather will continue through the middle of next week. Afternoon temperatures will mainly range from the mid 60s to upper 70s--temperatures about 5-10 degrees below seasonal average. It will be chilly Sunday night with lows in the mid 30s to mid 40s and below freezing in the colder valleys such as La Pine, Bear Valley and Ukiah. Nighttime temperatures will be slightly warmer the remainder of the extended period--upper 30s to near 50. The upper level trough will exit the region late Sunday and will bring showers and a chance of thunderstorms to southeast Washington and northeast Oregon before it makes its way into Idaho Sunday night. Snow levels will be about 8000 feet...therefore there could be snow accumulations along the peaks of the Eagle Cap Wilderness and the Elkhorns. Campers and hikers enjoying the last holiday of the summer season should dress warm and be prepared for the wet conditions on Sunday. There could be a few showers on Labor Day along the Cascades and the northeast mountains...but it should a pleasant day for outdoor activities for most of the area. A west-northwest flow aloft will remain over Washington and Oregon Tuesday through Wednesday. The GFS indicates light precipitation over eastern Washington and northeast Oregon on Tuesday while the ECMWF/Canadian maintain a drier westerly flow. Latest forecast grids have about 20-30 percent PoPs for Tuesday and will keep for now but may need to tone down if future runs are more in line with the ECMWF/Canadian solutions. Wister && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 55 76 53 72 / 0 10 30 30 ALW 60 77 58 72 / 0 10 30 30 PSC 58 79 58 76 / 10 10 20 20 YKM 52 74 48 73 / 10 10 20 20 HRI 57 78 58 75 / 10 10 20 20 ELN 54 70 50 68 / 20 10 30 30 RDM 44 72 44 67 / 10 10 20 20 LGD 50 75 51 67 / 0 10 30 40 GCD 51 77 51 67 / 0 10 30 30 DLS 59 71 57 72 / 10 10 30 30 && .PDT Watches/Warnings/Advisories... OR...None. WA...None. && 88/85/88
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Inciweb.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, September 2016
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: 656375.