The Rim fire occurred in the section of the Mt Hood National Forest in Wasco county. The fire burned during early and mid September.
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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 Rim fire occurred in the section of the Mt Hood National Forest in Wasco county. The fire burned during early and mid September.
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 Sep 2, 7:52 PM PST, 3 hours 8 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
852 PM PDT Sat Sep 2 2017
.SHORT TERM...Tonight through Tuesday...Not much change in the
hot, hazy, stagnant weather pattern is expected through Tuesday.
There is a small chance that some moisture riding north on the
west side of the ridge could fire a thunderstorm in southern
Deschutes County on Tuesday, but the path for much of the
moisture looks to be further west. The upper level ridge over the
area is expected to remain as all models are in agreement. A few
records were set today and more are likely Sunday and Monday.
Temperatures should be a degree or two higher on Sunday and about
the same for Monday and Tuesday. Dense smoke actually dropped
temperatures from their maximum potential in some areas today,
especially Madras and Sisters as they were limited to around 90.
Areas near active fires can expect slightly cooler temperatures
again Sunday compared to nearby areas not in the smoke. Current
forecast looks on track and no changes made.
&&
.AVIATION...06z TAFs...Ocnl MVFR conditions due to smoke will
occur at KBDN, KRDM, and KYKM. At KBDN, KRDM the most likely time
will be 18z-06z when transport winds are NW. Otherwise, vfr with
skc and light diurnal winds will be the rule.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 356 PM PDT Sat Sep 2 2017/
LONG TERM...Tuesday Night through Saturday...A strong ridge will
remain over the Pacific Northwest with a trough approaching in the
eastern Pacific Tuesday night and Wednesday. Moisture ahead of the
trough will bring a slight chance of thunderstorms along the Oregon
Cascade Crest and into locations south of Bend Tuesday evening
before dissipating overnight. On Wednesday the trough will start
pushing the ridge to the east and there will gain be a slight chance
of showers and thunderstorms along the Cascade Crest and Central
Oregon from Bend southward. Thursday will see the trough make
further progress and move just offshore while the ridge moves over
the Rockies. A slight chance of thunderstorms will expand into all
of the Cascades as well and Central and North Central Oregon and
most of the eastern Oregon mountains. Showers may continue
overnight. Friday the trough will come ashore with the trough axis
west of the Cascades. Models are showing continued instability so
have a slight chance of thunderstorms for the entire area except the
Columbia Basin and adjacent valleys. Saturday the trough will be
centered over the area and there will be a slight chance of
thunderstorms over the eastern Oregon mountains and a slight chance
of showers along the Washington Cascades with the rest of the area
dry. Haze and smoke will continue to be an issue for the entire
region though the trough may start easing the haze and smoke by next
weekend. Temperatures will gradually cool with 90s on Wednesday and
then mid 80s to mid 90s Thursday, upper 70s and 80s Friday then
finally mid 70s to mid 80s on Saturday. Perry
FIRE WEATHER...A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 10 PM
PDT this evening for all of fire weather zone 611 and the southern
portion of fire zone 640 for hot, dry and unstable conditions.
This is leading to Haines indices between 5 and 6. The hot and dry
weather is expected to continue through the rest of the holiday
weekend and perhaps even longer. The high Haines index is forecast
to be slightly lower on Sunday (mainly 5s) so decided to hold off
on extending the current RFW. However, will note that conditions
will still be moderately favorable for rapid fire growth for the
next next several days, as the hot upper level ridge remains
overhead. In fact, there is some potential for the Haines index to
increase perhaps back toward 6 on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Otherwise, winds remain westerly and light, less than 10 mph
tonight and Sunday. Sunday night through Monday winds are forecast
to shift, turning out of the north or northeast and increasing to
7-15 mph Monday afternoon. This is in response to an upper level
trough digging along and east of the continental divide. A surface
high will build into Idaho and Northeast Washington, with the
thermal trough remaining west of the Cascades. This will increase
pressure gradients and allow the aforementioned north-northeast
winds to develop. 77
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 61 99 64 99 / 0 0 0 0
ALW 69 99 68 100 / 0 0 0 0
PSC 57 99 59 100 / 0 0 0 0
YKM 59 100 60 101 / 0 0 0 0
HRI 59 100 61 100 / 0 0 0 0
ELN 56 100 58 100 / 0 0 0 0
RDM 53 100 54 98 / 0 0 0 0
LGD 51 99 52 98 / 0 0 0 0
GCD 56 100 57 100 / 0 0 0 0
DLS 63 100 64 102 / 0 0 0 0
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Red Flag Warning until 10 PM PDT this evening for ORZ611-640.
Heat Advisory until 8 PM PDT Monday for ORZ041-044.
WA...Heat Advisory until 8 PM PDT Monday for WAZ024-027-028.
&&
79/83/79The 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 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, September 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: 717036.