A lightning induced wildfire began July 16th 5 miles southeast of Carey and burned over 4,000 acres of grass and brush before it was contained. No property damage occurred.
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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 PIH wrote it up.
A lightning induced wildfire began July 16th 5 miles southeast of Carey and burned over 4,000 acres of grass and brush before it was contained. No property damage occurred.
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 Jul 16, 12:49 PM MST, 3 hours 11 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 149 PM MDT Mon Jul 16 2018 .DISCUSSION...The low pressure disturbance over Oregon will slowly cross southern Idaho tonight through early Tuesday morning. Showers and thunderstorms are moving into the central mountains this afternoon with the southern end of this disturbance trailing back into Owyhee County. There will be some instability left over in the Upper snake Highlands Tuesday with potential for isolated afternoon thunderstorms. The rest of the week looks mostly dry under westerly flow pattern. A broad area of moist air will remain just south of the state and there is the possibility some of that air could slip into southern Idaho and bring some thunderstorm activity with it. Valley temperatures should be in the lower to middle 90s through next weekend. RS && .AVIATION...VFR conditions should prevail, though some strong thunderstorms today could bring locally heavy rain. This could reduce visibility temporarily. Gusty outflow winds associated with the storms are also likely late this afternoon into the evening. Most of the storms will move through late tonight with much drier weather expected tomorrow. Hinsberger && .FIRE WEATHER...Focus will be on convective development throughout the afternoon and evening. Besides lightning, the storms will likely produce very strong outflow winds and locally heavy rainfall. Coverage of storms will be isolated to widely scattered this evening. While much of the area could see some rainfall from the storms, dry lightning remains a possibility as well. Coupled with outflow winds and receptive fuels, lightning-ignited fires will likely spread rapidly. Convective activity should move east out of the area late tonight/early tomorrow morning. Dry and stable conditions should take us through the rest of the week and into the weekend. Hinsberger && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. &&
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Pocatello ID 159 PM MDT MON JUL 16 2018 IDZ068-070-074-162045- Challis/Pahsimeroi Valleys ID-Big Lost Highlands/Copper Basin ID- Lost River Valleys ID- 159 PM MDT MON JUL 16 2018 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL CUSTER COUNTY UNTIL 245 PM MDT... At 158 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 12 miles west of Chilly Barton Flat or 20 miles west of Mackay Reservoir, moving east at 20 mph. Half inch hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Chilly Barton Flat and Twin Bridges Airport. LAT...LON 4393 11428 4400 11435 4417 11389 4396 11377 TIME...MOT...LOC 1958Z 258DEG 18KT 4402 11411 RS
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Pocatello ID 213 PM MDT MON JUL 16 2018 IDZ057-162100- Raft River Region ID- 213 PM MDT MON JUL 16 2018 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EAST CENTRAL CASSIA COUNTY UNTIL 300 PM MDT... At 213 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8 miles north of Malta, moving east at 15 mph. Half inch hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Idahome. LAT...LON 4253 11312 4235 11311 4238 11339 4246 11342 TIME...MOT...LOC 2013Z 265DEG 11KT 4243 11332 RS
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Pocatello ID 221 PM MDT MON JUL 16 2018 IDZ068-069-162100- Lost River Range ID-Lost River Valleys ID- 221 PM MDT MON JUL 16 2018 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EASTERN CUSTER AND CENTRAL BUTTE COUNTIES UNTIL 300 PM MDT... At 221 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Mackay, moving northeast at 5 mph. Half inch hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Darlington. LAT...LON 4385 11358 4390 11360 4396 11332 4374 11326 TIME...MOT...LOC 2021Z 210DEG 5KT 4386 11352 RS
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Pocatello ID 233 PM MDT MON JUL 16 2018 IDZ066-067-162115- Centennial Mountains/Island Park ID-Beaverhead/Lemhi Highlands ID- 233 PM MDT MON JUL 16 2018 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTH CENTRAL CLARK COUNTY UNTIL 315 PM MDT... At 231 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 7 miles south of Monida or 19 miles north of Dubois, moving east at 10 mph. The storm will cross Interstate 15 near Humphrey. Half inch hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of north central Clark County. LAT...LON 4438 11215 4443 11237 4449 11235 4448 11215 TIME...MOT...LOC 2031Z 280DEG 9KT 4445 11231 RS
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Pocatello ID
344 PM MDT MON JUL 16 2018
IDZ052-053-067-162230-
Arco/Mud Lake Desert ID-Upper Snake River Plain ID-
Beaverhead/Lemhi Highlands ID-
344 PM MDT MON JUL 16 2018
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN FREMONT...
JEFFERSON...NORTHWESTERN BONNEVILLE...NORTHWESTERN MADISON...SOUTHERN
CLARK AND NORTHWESTERN BINGHAM COUNTIES UNTIL 430 PM MDT...
At 344 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 16 miles north of Northwest Inl to Monteview to
near Southeast Inl. Movement was east at 35 mph.
Dime size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with
these storms.
Locations impacted include...
Rigby, Dubois, Terreton, Menan, Roberts, Lewisville, Mud Lake, Hamer,
Southeast Inl, Monteview, Plano, Small, Sage Junction, southern Saint
Anthony Sand Dunes and Kettle Butte.
LAT...LON 4434 11206 4404 11181 4360 11194 4354 11269
4390 11259 4415 11279
TIME...MOT...LOC 2144Z 256DEG 30KT 4410 11269 4392 11254 4362 11262
DMHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A lightning induced wildfire began July 16th 5 miles southeast of Carey and burned over 4,000 acres of grass and brush before it was contained. No property damage occurred.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, July 2018
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: 776820.