The Mammoth wildfire was reported on August 5th 7 miles north of Shoshone and rapidly grew to 60,000 acres due to strong winds. The fire burned grass and brush and threatened one primary residence and two minor structures.
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.
The Mammoth wildfire was reported on August 5th 7 miles north of Shoshone and rapidly grew to 60,000 acres due to strong winds. The fire burned grass and brush and threatened one primary residence and two minor structures. The cause of the fire was undetermined and was contained by August 10th.
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 5, 1:43 AM MST, 11 hours 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 243 AM MDT Sat Aug 5 2017 .SHORT TERM...Today through Mon night. Weak low pressure in southern Canada loses its influence over eastern Idaho weather today as it continues tracking eastward and away from the Gem State. The southwest U.S. ridge then builds northward and shift the precipitation band by Sun farther into Wyoming and away from the forecast area. But it does allow a surge of unstable subtropical air to start moving farther north. It arrives Mon afternoon, generating showers and thunderstorms over mainly the central Idaho mountains and along the ID-WY border. The increase in cloud cover will allow temperatures to cool and humidity to rise, and will say good-bye to 90-plus degree highs after today. Wind remains gusty over areas south of the Snake River, but this should not be as strong as Friday was. Messick .LONG TERM...Tue through Fri night. The influx of unstable and moist air continues with little let-up until maybe the last 24 hours of this forecast. Wed afternoon appears wettest, but most rainfall guidance is driven by convective parameterizations and so is unrealiable in both location and magnitude, as it is mainly for relief of built-up model instability. So have painted with a broad brush for this period. The widespread moisture means higher humidity and cooler temperatures, actually slightly below climatic normals for this time of year. Fri may see this inflow shut off with a warming and drying starting as early as Fri afternoon, if the GFS is correct. Do not see any major surface cold front during this time either, and thus wind expected to remain light. Messick && .AVIATION...Expect vfr conditions today. Will continue to have some gusty afternoon winds as a weak dry system moves through the region. Haze from area wildfires will continue, but expect visibilities to remain vfr. Valle && .FIRE WEATHER...Expect gusty winds once again this afternoon as a weak system exits the region. Expect winds to be a little less than experienced on Friday. Unsettled weather will arrive next week. This will produce scattered showers and thunderstorms along with cooler weather. && Valle.PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Mammoth wildfire was reported on August 5th 7 miles north of Shoshone and rapidly grew to 60,000 acres due to strong winds. The fire burned grass and brush and threatened one primary residence and two minor structures. The cause of the fire was undetermined and was contained by August 10th.
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: 718427.