Wildfire, East Slopes of the Washington Cascades
- When
- October 1, 12:00 AM PST to October 2, 6:15 AM PST
- Where
- East Slopes of the Washington Cascades forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
Inciweb and Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
Wildfire in Washington, October 1 to 2, 2017
A lightning strike started the Jolly Mountain Fire on August 11, 2017. The fire continues to burn in the Cle Elum Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and on or near land managed by the Washington Department of National Resources and The Nature Conservancy.
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 PDT wrote it up.
A lightning strike started the Jolly Mountain Fire on August 11, 2017. The fire continues to burn in the Cle Elum Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and on or near land managed by the Washington Department of National Resources and The Nature Conservancy. This fire was declared contained in early October.
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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 30, 9:05 PM PST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 30, 9:05 PM PST, 2 hours 55 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion...Updated National Weather Service Pendleton OR 1005 PM PDT Sat Sep 30 2017 .SHORT TERM...Upper level trough and fairly strong short wave to move across the region tonight into Sunday. Satellite shows the short wave moving into northern Washington this evening with showers and a few thunderstorms. This activity will cross the forecast area later this evening and overnight. Best chance for showers will be the Washington Cascades and the northeast Oregon mountains. The upper level trough will then move southward across the area Sunday into Sunday night with additional showers. Cold air aloft will create some instability and expect we could have some heavier showers or small hail. Locally breezy northwest winds will continue through tomorrow although they should be decreasing some as compared to today. Temperatures remain well below normal the next several days. 94 .AVIATION...06Z TAFs...Unsettled weather will continue through the period as shortwaves continue to rotate around the parent upper level low currently over the northern BC/AB border. Best chances for precip reaching the ground will be at ALW, PDT and PSC with VIRGA likely at the remaining terminals where moisture is more limited and mid-level lapse rates aren't quite as steep. Freezing levels will be just above 5 kft MSL with -20C heights only around 15 kft MSL through the period so graupel or even a couple lightning strikes will be possible with any stronger showers, especially near ALW and PDT. Given low probability of any stronger showers occurring over the terminals have kept any mention of SHRAGS or TS out of the forecasts for now. Winds will be northwesterly generally 10-20 kts with a few higher gusts at DLS and PDT. 74 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 143 PM PDT Sat Sep 30 2017/ SHORT TERM...Tonight through Tuesday...an upper level trough over the western U.S. is in the process of deepening. This will allow the the colder unstable air aloft currently entering northwest Washington to slide over the forecast area tonight. Already seeing increasing instability showers over western Washington this afternoon. Northwest flow aloft will bring this instability across the forecast area overnight and upslope flow will help induce precipitation. Snow levels will lower to near 5000 feet overnight meaning there could be some light snow accumulations in the mountains. Upper level flow turns more northerly on Sunday as the trough deepens into a closed low over the northern Rockies. Will continue to see showers through the day aided by heating and upslope flow. Showers will dissipate Sunday night and Monday as the upper low moves off to the east leaving a cool dry north to northeast flow through the first of the week. LONG TERM...Tuesday night through Saturday. The extended range models are coming into much better agreement through the mid part of the forecast. A cut off low pressure system is expected to be moving from northern California into Nevada Tuesday night and then move into Idaho on Wednesday and remain over Idaho through early Friday before moving east. With the expected movement of the low there will some moisture wrapping around the low into northeast Oregon Wednesday through Thursday, but only a slight chance of rain over the mountains. As the low moves east, warmer and dry conditions for Friday, followed by northwest flow and a weak frontal system to move through Saturday. Moisture looks limited with along the front with only a slight chance of showers over the mountains. Temperatures will be gradually warming through Friday and then cool slightly behind the front. 93 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 47 61 41 58 / 30 30 30 10 ALW 48 62 43 60 / 40 40 30 10 PSC 47 66 43 65 / 20 20 20 0 YKM 42 64 39 63 / 10 20 10 0 HRI 48 65 43 64 / 20 20 20 10 ELN 45 61 38 63 / 10 20 10 0 RDM 37 56 31 55 / 10 30 20 10 LGD 41 53 36 53 / 40 40 30 20 GCD 40 52 36 53 / 30 40 30 20 DLS 49 65 44 67 / 10 20 20 10 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...None. WA...None. && 94/74
Event by event
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Tornado and Hail in Kansas, October 1, 2017
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, October 1, 2017
- Flooding in Texas, October 1 to 15, 2017
- Flash Flood and Hail in Nebraska, October 1, 2017
- Flooding and Coastal Flood in Florida, October 1 to 5, 2017
- Drought in Montana, October 1 to 31, 2017
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, October 1, 2017
- Drought in Iowa, October 1 to 24, 2017
- Drought in South Dakota, October 1 to 31, 2017
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Colorado, October 1 to 2, 2017
- Drought in Hawaii, October 1 to 31, 2017
- Coastal Flood in New York, October 1 to 31, 2017
More
Every storm in Washington in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, October 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: 718288.