Name: Wildfire in Washington, September 1 to 17, 2018
Start: 2018-09-01T00:00
End: 2018-09-17T23:59
Location: Washington

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 Miriam Fire was detected on July 30 at approximately 10:00 a.m. after lightning passed through the area on July 28. The fire is burning within the Goat Rocks Wilderness on the Naches Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest 32 miles southwest of Naches, Washington. The fire is east of the White Pass Ski Area, south of Highway 12, and west of the Tieton River. |The fire is being managed to protect public and firefighter safety; the White Pass Ski Resort and surrounding area; recreational cabins, camps and resorts on Rimrock Lake; State Highway 12; Goat Rocks Wilderness; and fish and wildlife habitat.|Fire suppression efforts have tapered off and crews are now working on fire line repair and pulling equipment.|Firefighting cost was $14.2 million, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

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 31, 9:21 PM PST, 2 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 9:21 PM PST, 2 hours 39 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
1021 PM PDT Fri Aug 31 2018

.SHORT TERM...Dry northwest flow over the region this evening and
tonight. Satellite showing clear skies with just a few marine
clouds banked up to the Washington Cascade crest. An upper level
trough moving through BC will likely push some cirrus through the
northern portion of the forecast area later tonight and Saturday.
Otherwise tomorrow will be a sunny day with temperatures similar
to today. Highs in the 70s to lower 80s. Gradients continue to
favor westerly winds in the afternoon and early evening. Overnight
lows the next few nights will be cool with 30s and 40s for most
locations. Models continue to indicate an upper level trough and
weak cold front moving through the region late Sunday night into
Monday. 94

.AVIATION...06z tafs. Mainly clear skies overnight. Increasing
cirrus Saturday with sct-bkn 200-250. Winds 5-10kt overnight and
10-20kt Sat.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 228 PM PDT Fri Aug 31 2018/

SHORT TERM...Tonight through Monday...Scattered clouds across the
lower Basin and Blues will continue disperse through the late
afternoon as mixing increases before dissipating quickly with loss
of surface heating this evening with mostly clear skies through
the overnight. The marine layer looks to persist at least into
Saturday on the west side of the Cascades and this will result in
breezy conditions through and downwind of gaps through the
Cascades during the each late afternoon/early evening period when
thermal gradients across the mountains are maximized. Dry
northwesterly flow will persist through Sunday and this should
keep most of the smoke burning in heavy fuels in northern
Washington and in the Oregon Cascades out of our area. The next
system of note arrives Monday morning, but not currently expecting
much out of it other than an increase in mid-level cloudiness.
Temperatures will be near normal values for this time of year with
highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s and lows in the upper 40s to
mid 50s. Peck.

LONG TERM...Monday Night through Friday...Monday night a weak
system will exit to the east and a dry west to northwest flow will
be over the area through Tuesday night. Not expecting any
precipitation during this period and skies will be mostly clear. By
Wednesday models begin to diverge as to the handling of an upper low
and trough out in the eastern Pacific. The GFS is faster to have it
approach the British Columbia coast By Wednesday night and then
sends a front through our area Thursday and Thursday night followed
by another disturbance on Friday. The GFS also develops a southwest
flow on Wednesday and pulls in moisture from the desert southwest
into the eastern Oregon mountains which would lead to a slight
chance of thunderstorms there Wednesday afternoon and evening. The
ECMWF keeps the trough well offshore Wednesday through Thursday
night before sending a front into our area Friday afternoon. Believe
the GFS is too fast and too strong so have leaned towards the ECMWF
and have a dry forecast Wednesday through Thursday night before
having a slight chance of rain showers along the Washington Cascade
crest Friday afternoon. Temperatures will be at or a few degrees
below normal with highs in the mid 70s to mid 80s Tuesday through
Thursday then cooling Friday to the upper 70s to lower 80s in the
lower elevations and in the upper 60s and 70s elsewhere. Lows
through the period will be cool with upper 40s to mid 50s in the
lower elevations and in the mid 30s to mid 40s elsewhere. Perry

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT  49  79  49  82 /   0   0   0   0
ALW  52  80  51  82 /   0   0   0   0
PSC  51  82  48  85 /   0   0   0   0
YKM  48  79  48  84 /   0   0   0   0
HRI  51  80  48  84 /   0   0   0   0
ELN  49  76  47  82 /   0   0   0   0
RDM  39  79  39  83 /   0   0   0   0
LGD  43  76  42  80 /   0   0   0   0
GCD  44  78  45  81 /   0   0   0   0
DLS  52  80  52  85 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...None.
WA...None.
&&

94

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, East Slopes of the Washington Cascades

When: September 1, 12:00 AM PST to September 17, 11:59 PM PST
Where: East Slopes of the Washington Cascades forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service

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

More

Every storm in Washington in 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, September 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: 783641.