Nevada, 2018

Wildfire in Nevada, July 5 to 25, 2018

July 5 to 25, 2018 · NWS LKN · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A number of destructive wildfires burned across central and northern Nevada in July, which had significant economic impacts. Some of the impacts included, closed roads and highways, infrastructure impacts, damaged outbuildings, impacts to grazing, watersheds, and evacuations.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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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 LKN wrote it up.

A number of destructive wildfires burned across central and northern Nevada in July, which had significant economic impacts. Some of the impacts included, closed roads and highways, infrastructure impacts, damaged outbuildings, impacts to grazing, watersheds, and evacuations. Some of the more dustructive fires were the Martin, Echo, Hogan, Goose Creek, Dixie, Stag, Silverstate, Boone Springs, HD, Gregg, and Antelope.

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 Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 4, 1:23 PM PST, 11 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 1:23 PM PST, 11 hours 25 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Elko NV
223 PM PDT Wed Jul 4 2018

.SYNOPSIS...Hot, dry, and breezy afternoon conditions will
continue across the region through Saturday. A push of monsoon
moisture will creep up from the south and provide a chance of
isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms over portions of
central and eastern Nevada later this weekend and early next week.

&&

.SHORT TERM...This Wednesday evening through Friday evening.
Hot and dry weather will continue as Nevada lies within
south/southwest flow between upper high to the east and low
pressure off the Pacific Northwest Coast. Will be breezy in the
afternoon and early evening hours each day with gusts of 25 to
around 30 mph common. Temperatures will remain above normal with
highs in the 90s to around 100 degrees and nighttime lows in the
40s and 50s.

.LONG TERM...Friday night through next Wednesday. High pressure
pushes up from the south this weekend and into next week with
afternoon high temperatures generally in the mid to upper 90s.
Monsoon moisture under the ridge will spread up into northeastern
Nye and southern White Pine Counties on Saturday. This moisture
in combination with weak to moderate instability will result in
shower and thunderstorm activity. The high pressure will slowly
drift a little further north Sunday into Monday, gradually
expanding the areas of potential showers and thunderstorms to
include portions of Lander, Eureka and Elko Counties. Latest
guidance has the moist and unstable air mass drifting eastward
Tuesday and Wednesday, slowly ending the showers and
thunderstorms from west to east by mid-week.

&&

.AVIATION...VFR conditions at all terminals through Thursday
evening.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...Fire weather threat will remain elevated Thursday
through Saturday given very low RHs and breezy conditions during
the afternoon and early evening hours, but do not expect
widespread critical conditions of sufficient duration at this time
that would require a Red Flag Warning. Will continue to closely
monitor the situation for any changes in model output that would
indicate the possibility for higher wind speeds than currently
expected.

Some monsoonal moisture will creep up from the south later
on Saturday, and especially Sunday into Monday providing a chance
of isolated to scattered, both dry and wet storms over central
and eastern portions of the state.

&&

.LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&

95/96/96/95

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 4, 10:25 PM PST, 2 hours 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
1125 PM PDT WED JUL 4 2018

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0100 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG 1 NE SPRING CREEK       40.75N 115.58W
07/04/2018                   ELKO               NV   PUBLIC

            A DUST DEVIL TOSSED A SHED AT LEAST 100
            FEET. THE SHED WAS ANCHORED TO THE GROUND.

&&

94

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Humboldt

When
July 5, 12:48 AM PST to July 25, 1:15 PM PST
Where
Humboldt forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
41.407, -118.112 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Martin Fire started in eastern Humboldt County and moved into western Elko County in northern Nevada. It became one of the largest fires in U.S. history with a final size at 435,569 acres. Impacts to grazing allotments, significant critical sage grouse habitat, and other unknown economic impacts were reported.

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

More

Every storm in Nevada in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, July 2018

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: 763707.