Name: Wildfire in California, September 1 to 11, 2017
Start: 2017-09-01T00:00
End: 2017-09-11T23:59
Location: California

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.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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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 REV wrote it up.

Thunderstorms with limited rainfall produced many lightning strikes leading to several new wildfire starts in northwest Nevada and far eastern California on the 29th of August. The Slinkard Fire which started in late August was not 100% contained until early September.

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 Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 31, 7:27 PM PST, 4 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 7:27 PM PST, 4 hours 33 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Reno NV
827 PM PDT Thu Aug 31 2017

.UPDATE...

Weak convection remains over the far southern parts of Mono
County...but this is ending. The convection today remained fairly
minimal as high pressure began to build in from the northwest with
drier and more stable air.

Overnight...the presence of this building high will induce
stronger winds from the northeast over many ridges...with lighter
winds in the valleys. This could cause issues with existing fires
overnight as the mid slopes and ridges remain breezy with poor
humidity recovery.

&&

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /Issued 140 PM PDT Thu Aug 31 2017/

SYNOPSIS...

High pressure will provide unseasonably hot temperatures and
light winds into early next week. Areas of wildfire smoke and
haze will be possible through the weekend. Moisture begins
increasing by Saturday bringing a return of isolated showers and
storms to the Sierra. Storms spread north and increase in
coverage Sunday into early next week.

SHORT TERM...

High pressure will take hold this weekend to provide hot weather
with high temperatures expected to be about 10 to 15 degrees
above season averages. This will put western Nevada valleys in the
upper 90s to around 100 through Sunday afternoon. If you have
outdoor plans over the holiday weekend keep heat related impacts
in mind and stay hydrated particularly for any strenuous outdoor
activity.

The other concern over the weekend will deal with smoke and haze
from the ample amount of wildfires going on regionally. The most
expansive areas of wildfire smoke remain across northern
California and southern Oregon with more localized wildfire smoke
areas from the Slinkard fire near Topaz Lake and the Tohakum 2
fire by Pyramid Lake. Surface winds will be out of the north
this evening and overnight which will help transport some of this
smoke and haze farther south through Friday morning. This may
produce degraded air quality for western Nevada valleys including
the Burning Man Festival in Black Rock Desert. Overall, winds will
remain rather light through the weekend as high pressure builds,
so mixing of smoke and haze will be rather limited through Sunday.
The Sierra may see some hazy conditions over the weekend but
light easterly flow on Saturday and Sunday should allow the bulk
of it to remain on the west slopes. Fuentes

LONG TERM...

A transition in the upper level pattern will see high pressure
sliding eastward with moisture beginning to filter in along
western periphery of the ridge. This pattern would favor
development of showers and thunderstorms across the Sierra mainly
by Sunday afternoon. As moisture increases, thunderstorms should
become more widespread with Tuesday and Wednesday of next week
showing the best potential thus far to see the best chances and
coverage for showers and storms. The increased moisture will also
yield more cloud cover which will help high temperatures cool a
few degrees each day into the middle of next week. Fuentes

AVIATION...

VFR conditions are expected through the weekend. Light north to
northeast winds will remain in place through Friday morning which
may help transport and settle areas of smoke and haze through
western Nevada valleys. Surface visibilities around 3 miles are
possible from Susanville to Pyramid Lake and the Black Rock City
Airport (88NV) Friday morning. Otherwise dry conditions will
prevail with a return of isolated Sierra showers and thunderstorms
as early as Sunday afternoon with increasing chances and coverage
into early next week. Fuentes

&&

.REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NV...None.
CA...None.
&&

For more information from the National Weather Service visit...
http://weather.gov/reno

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, Mono

When: September 1, 12:00 AM PST to September 11, 11:59 PM PST
Where: Mono forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 37.939, -118.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Slinkard Fire burned 8,925 acres west of Topaz, California, between August 29th and September 11th. No exact end time was found for this incident. The fire was suspected to be lightning-caused by a high-based thunderstorm. Extreme fire growth in cheat grass, sagebrush, and pinyon/juniper lead to evacuations in Topaz north of California 89 to the Nevada state line. U.S. 395 was closed from south of Gardnerville, Nevada, to California 108 in Bridgeport, California, from August 31st to September 2nd. California 89 was also closed from U.S. 395 to State Road 4 at Monitor Pass. Nevada 208 was also closed for a short period of time. The cost to fight the fire was at least $5.7M.

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

More

Every storm in California in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in California, September 2017

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: 722764.