Wildfire in Oregon, August 17 to 25, 2018

Name: Wildfire in Oregon, August 17 to 25, 2018
Start: 2018-08-17T15:45
End: 2018-08-25T19:40
Location: Oregon

August 17 to 25, 2018 · NWS PDT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Jennie’s Peak Fire started on August 17, 2018 after lightning passed through the area. The fire is located 14 miles south of Fossil, OR and is burning on BLM and private lands.

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.

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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 PDT wrote it up.

The Jennie’s Peak Fire started on August 17, 2018 after lightning passed through the area. The fire is located 14 miles south of Fossil, OR and is burning on BLM and private lands. Evacuations of campgrounds and residences along the John Day River are in place. Smoky conditions may continue to affect communities in the region.

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 Aug 17, 1:00 PM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 1:00 PM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
200 PM PDT Fri Aug 17 2018

.SHORT TERM...Tonight through Monday afternoon...An upper level low
pressure system will move through the forecast area this afternoon
ant this evening and exit into Idaho overnight. Dynamic lift
associated with the low is expected to trigger isolated afternoon
and evening thunderstorms in Wallowa County. High pressure will
then build over the region through the weekend for dry conditions.
High temperatures through the weekend at lower elevations will be in
the mid 80s to lower 90s with highs in the mid 80s to mid 90s on
Monday. Sunday night and Monday a mid to upper level trough swings
inland and introduces a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms
Sunday night in central Oregon and then a slight chance of
thunderstorms during the day on Monday along the east slopes of the
WA/OR Cascades and in the mountains of northeast Oregon.  Polan

LONG TERM...Monday night through Friday...Models continue to show
cut-off upper-level low over the Pacific Northwest but slowly
retrograding back towards the OR coast with ridging over topping it
and extending north into Alaska. Expect a chance of showers and
thunderstorms Monday night into Tuesday, with best chances over the
mountains. As we head into Tuesday night into Wednesday an
approaching trough will force the upper-level low to eject out into
ID and MT and get caught in the flow aloft. Less confident on precip
chances and placement for this period as models begin to diverge
with timing and locations of the cut-off/open wave feature as it
shifts northeast. The ridge also breaks down and shifts east and a
cooling trend is expected to end the week with near normal to
possibly below normal temps. Should also see improvement of the
hazy/smoky conditions behind the departing system on Wednesday as
westerly winds increase.

AVIATION...00Z TAFs...Skies will remain hazy but surface vis should
remain VFR outside of smoke from local fires and possible over
central OR near KBDN and KRDM which could fall to MVFR conditions at
times. Winds could be breezy at KDLS and Columbia Gorge gusting 20-
30kts.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...A few thunderstorms possible this afternoon and
early evening over northeast Oregon and southeast Washington
associated with the upper low moving over the region. Activity
should move east into Idaho by sunset. Another upper low will move
across the Pacific northwest late Sunday into Mon and Tue with
additional thunderstorms possible. 94

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT  59  90  61  93 /   0   0   0   0
ALW  59  92  60  94 /  10   0   0   0
PSC  58  92  58  95 /   0   0   0   0
YKM  57  91  59  93 /   0   0   0   0
HRI  59  93  59  95 /   0   0   0   0
ELN  57  92  57  94 /   0   0   0   0
RDM  45  91  49  91 /   0   0   0   0
LGD  50  90  51  92 /  10   0   0   0
GCD  54  91  57  93 /  10   0   0   0
DLS  61  93  64  94 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Red Flag Warning until 8 PM PDT this evening for ORZ643-645.

WA...Red Flag Warning until 8 PM PDT this evening for WAZ643-645.

&&

99/84/84/94

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 17, 9:47 AM PST, 5 hours 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1047 AM PDT FRI AUG 17 2018

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

0600 PM     HAIL             5 SE SISTERS            44.24N 121.47W
08/16/2018  M1.00 INCH       DESCHUTES          OR   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            VIDEO POSTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA SHOWING NICKEL
            TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL FALLING AT THE
            CLOVERDALE FIRE STATION 5 MILES SE OF
            SISTERS. CALLED FIRE STATION AND VERIFIED
            HAIL SIZE. ALSO REPORTED VERY HEAVY RAIN
            WITH PARKING LOT FLOODING DURING THE STORM.

&&

DS

Local storm report, Aug 17, 10:25 AM PST, 5 hours 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1125 AM PDT FRI AUG 17 2018

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

0557 PM     HAIL             8 NW BEND               44.15N 121.43W
08/16/2018  M0.88 INCH       DESCHUTES          OR   EMERGENCY MNGR

            STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH RAIN AND NICKEL SIZE HAIL MOVING
            NORTH FROM A LOCATION JUST WEST OF TUMALO RESERVOIR.

&&

POLAN

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, John Day Basin

When: August 17, 3:45 PM PST to August 25, 7:40 PM PST
Where: John Day Basin forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service
Coordinates: 44.885, -120.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Inciweb.

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

Every storm in Oregon in 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, August 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: 771616.