The Substation Fire started on private land southeast of The Dalles, Oregon, on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 and grew quickly. Driven by strong winds, the fire moved more than 18 miles in the first burning period and crossed multiple agency jurisdictions.
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.
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 Substation Fire started on private land southeast of The Dalles, Oregon, on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 and grew quickly. Driven by strong winds, the fire moved more than 18 miles in the first burning period and crossed multiple agency jurisdictions. The fire covered an area that extended from 5 miles south of The Dalles, to 2 miles west of Moro, to the limits of Grass Valley, in both Wasco and Sherman counties in Oregon. One person died while operating a tractor cutting a fire line. Also a historic homestead was lost. Fire is being investigated as possible arson.
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 Jul 17, 12:57 PM PST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
157 PM PDT Tue Jul 17 2018
.SHORT TERM...Tonight through Friday...Satellite images show that
a few fair weather CU have developed over the mountains from Crook
to Wallowa Counties this afternoon. These clouds will dissipate
around sunset. Weak marine push and strong cross Cascade pressure
gradients have brought breezy to windy conditions in the Columbia
Basin and adjacent areas this afternoon. These winds will increase
more this evening. The strongest winds are expected in the Columbia
River Gorge and Kittitas Valley. Red Flag Warnings for wind and low
RHs have been issued for these areas.
A dry westerly flow aloft will persist over the region through the
short term period. This will keep mainly clear skies over eastern WA
and OR. Temperatures will cool a few degrees each day. Surface
gradients and westerly flow aloft will favor continued breezy
conditions each day, especially in the afternoon and evening.
Coonfield
.LONG TERM...Friday night through Tuesday...A fairly persistent dry
westerly flow will continue through the extended with no
precipitation expected. An upper level low moving eastward through
southwest Canada over the weekend will produce some breezy
conditions and slightly lower temperatures back to near normal for
this time of year. By first of the week, temperatures will again
begin to warm to slightly above normal.
&&
.AVIATION...00Z TAFs...VFR conditions are expected for the next 24
hours under clear skies. Winds of 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 25 to
30 mph into tonight dropping to 5 to 15 kts overnight. Winds will
increase again on Wednesday.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...The Red Flag Warning was expanded to include all of
the Washington Lower Columbia Basin in effect until 8 PM Wednesday
evening--the same time as the other warnings in and around the
Columbia Basin down to Central Oregon. Winds are increasing with
gusts to 20-25 mph in many areas. The relative humidity generally
ranges from 10 to 20 percent. As winds increase and the humidity
decreases over the next several hours, the red flag conditions will
be met. Although winds will decrease overnight, there will be
lingering winds in the 10-20 mph range through early Wednesday
morning. Once again, gusts to 20-25 mph are likely again Wednesday
afternoon and evening and a few areas through the Columbia River
Gorge and Kittitas Valley will have gusts to 35 mph. Unfortunately,
the wind and RH threat will continue through the end of the week. It
may be locally breezy on Thursday and breezy/windy on Friday. Will
address the upcoming winds on Friday after the expiration of the
current warnings. Wister
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 64 95 61 91 / 0 0 0 0
ALW 67 96 62 92 / 0 0 0 0
PSC 65 97 62 93 / 0 0 0 0
YKM 62 94 59 89 / 0 0 0 0
HRI 67 98 63 95 / 0 0 0 0
ELN 62 91 59 87 / 0 0 0 0
RDM 53 91 50 91 / 0 0 0 0
LGD 55 91 50 89 / 0 0 0 0
GCD 59 91 55 91 / 0 0 0 0
DLS 66 90 63 88 / 0 0 0 0
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Red Flag Warning until 8 PM PDT Wednesday for ORZ639.
Red Flag Warning until 8 PM PDT Wednesday for ORZ610-640-641.
Heat Advisory until 9 PM PDT this evening for ORZ044-507.
WA...Red Flag Warning until 8 PM PDT Wednesday for WAZ639.
Red Flag Warning until 8 PM PDT Wednesday for WAZ641-675.
Heat Advisory until 9 PM PDT this evening for WAZ026>029.
&&
76/91/91The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Inciweb.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire, North Central Oregon | 2018-07-19 | 64 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, 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: 764060.