Name: Wildfire in Oregon, July 29 to 31, 2018
Start: 2018-07-29T16:00
End: 2018-07-31T22:00
Location: Oregon

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 fire burned along US Highway 730, and between the highway and the Columbia River in Umatilla county Oregon. It also burned within and around Juniper Canyon.

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 Jul 29, 1:31 PM PST, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 29, 1:31 PM PST, 2 hours 29 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
231 PM PDT Sun Jul 29 2018

.SHORT TERM...Tonight through Wednesday...A ridge of high pressure
will amplify over the region through Tuesday before an offshore
upper level trough approaches the coast bringing some cooler relief.
Temperatures will reach 10 to 15 degrees warmer than normal Monday
and Tuesday before cooling 5 to 10 degrees on Wednesday. The
excessive Heat Watch has been upgraded to warnings and advisories
covering the Monday and Tuesday period. An increasing southerly flow
will advect smoke and haze over the forecast area during the next
couple of days. The flow will turn more southwest on Tuesday and
will see a little more instability in the atmosphere so have
expanded the slight chance of thunderstorm coverage to more portions
of the forecast area. Some of this instability will linger into
Wednesday over far eastern Oregon.

.LONG TERM...Wednesday night through Sunday...An offshore trough
will weaken as it moves into the ridge and swings across WA and OR
Thursday. Cooler air will filter into the area Wednesday night and
Thursday with temperatures near seasonal level with 80s to around
90. Another weak trough will move through the ridge again Friday.
Moisture and instability will be limited so mainly clear skies and
no precipitation is expected with these troughs. The upper level
ridge will build back west a little for Saturday night and Sunday as
a low pressure system moves toward the coast.  Coonfield

&&

.AVIATION...00Z TAFs...VFR conditions will prevail over next 24
hours as upper level ridge builds over area.  Some cumulus clouds
developed over the mountains this afternoon . They will dissipate
around sunset and redevelop tomorrow. Generally light winds. Patchy
smoke is possible. 76

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT  70 105  70 104 /   0   0   0   0
ALW  66 105  69 104 /   0   0   0   0
PSC  65 106  69 105 /   0   0   0   0
YKM  67 104  70 103 /   0   0   0  10
HRI  68 108  70 107 /   0   0   0   0
ELN  63 104  67 102 /   0   0   0  10
RDM  58 102  61 100 /   0   0   0  20
LGD  59 101  61 103 /   0   0   0  20
GCD  64 101  66 102 /   0   0   0  20
DLS  72 106  72 101 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Excessive Heat Warning from 11 AM Monday to 11 PM PDT Tuesday
     for ORZ041-044-507-508-510.

     Heat Advisory from 11 AM Monday to 11 PM PDT Tuesday for ORZ049-
     050-502-503-505-506-509-511.

WA...Excessive Heat Warning from 11 AM Monday to 11 PM PDT Tuesday
     for WAZ024-026>029-521.

     Heat Advisory from 11 AM Monday to 11 PM PDT Tuesday for WAZ030-
     520.

&&

91/76/76

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, Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon

When: July 29, 4:00 PM PST to July 31, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 45.592, -118.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Lake Wallula Fire began Sunday evening in the Juniper Canyon area northwest of Hermiston and was at approximately 10,462 acres, according GPS mapping done Tuesday, July 31st. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No property was lost and no injuries occurred.

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 Oregon in 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, 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: 764109.