Lightning caused a 24,500 acre wildfire about 5 miles south of Atomic City. The fire burned tall grass and brush in between lava rocks which made containment difficult for fire fighters.
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 PIH wrote it up.
Lightning caused a 24,500 acre wildfire about 5 miles south of Atomic City. The fire burned tall grass and brush in between lava rocks which made containment difficult for fire fighters. It began on August 2nd and was fully contained on August 6th. No structures were threatened by the fire.
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 Pocatello, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 2, 12:46 PM MST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 146 PM MDT Wed Aug 2 2017 .DISCUSSION...A blocking ridge of high pressure remained anchored over NW Nevada early this afternoon resulting in a dry and stable NW flow aloft over SRN Idaho. Satellite imagery was showing a fairly modest disturbance rotating over the top of the ridge into NRN British Columbia and several sub-tropical waves with associated moisture rotating north off the California coast along the WRN periphery of the high. Numerical models continue to show a back-door front spilling over the Montana divide into the Snake River Plain tonight/Thursday morning resulting in a dry low-level NE flow penetrating the region. Current model projections show sub-advisory lake wind conditions across American Falls Reservoir so we will hold off on any highlights for now as it would be a short-lived morning event at any rate. Modest NW winds aloft mix into the area Thursday afternoon running below Red Flag conditions for the ERN Magic Valley and SRN Highlands. The next upstream clipper shears into NE Montana Friday evening resulting in a slight chance of afternoon/evening convection up along the Montana divide, otherwise the region remains under a fairly dry and stable NW flow through Saturday. Previous model runs had the ridge breaking down Saturday allowing sub- tropical moisture to our SW to begin working into the region but the latest series of model results have trended slower with the breakdown holding off on any influx of monsoon moisture until Monday and continuing into mid-week. Given this trend, we have begun to trend drier with the forecast Saturday and Sunday with widely scattered thunderstorm activity continuing early next week. A similar trend was noted in the daytime temps where seasonably warm conditions were maintained through Saturday with a cooling trend starting Sunday and continuing into mid-week. Huston && .AVIATION...Hazy conditions will persist over IDA and PIH but it is not expected to reduce visibilities. VFR ceilings and visibilities are forecast with diurnally varying winds. NP/MH && .FIRE WEATHER...Critically dry conditions remain in the forecast across Central and South Central Idaho through Friday. The western portion of Zone 413 in Eastern Idaho will also be critically dry through Friday. Recovery to these conditions is expected over the weekend with some moisture coming in from the north. Eastern Idaho will feel the recovery the most with the remainder of our area perhaps not feeling any influence at all...the confidence in recovery in Central and South Central at the moment is not high. Early next week, the weather pattern starts to change and moisture looks to surge up from the south which would indeed bring recovery to all areas, along with showers and thunderstorms. Winds the remainder of today are expected to gust less than 20 mph. Hazy, smoky conditions are expected across Eastern and Central Idaho tonight, in those areas where winds are lighter. Haze to possibly spread to South Central Idaho areas tomorrow morning. These conditions will persist in the East and Central areas tomorrow as well. Winds tomorrow afternoon will increase across zones 413, 425 and 427 will nudge the 25 mph gust mark and is thusly close to fire weather watch/red flag warning criteria but forecasts will remain below it at this time. For both Friday and Saturday, further increases to winds are expected in these same areas and discussions are anticipated for potential issuance's during the afternoon and evening time frame. NP/MH && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. &&
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning caused a 24,500 acre wildfire about 5 miles south of Atomic City. The fire burned tall grass and brush in between lava rocks which made containment difficult for fire fighters. It began on August 2nd and was fully contained on August 6th. No structures were threatened by the fire.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, August 2017
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: 718425.