The Devil Wildfire started on 09/09/20. The cause is under investigation.
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 MFR wrote it up.
The Devil Wildfire started on 09/09/20. The cause is under investigation. As of 0630 PDT on 09/30/20, the fire had burned 8410 acres and was 20 percent contained. 0 structures were lost. 400 thousand dollars had been spent on firefighting efforts.
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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 8, 1:52 PM PST, 10 hours 8 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Medford OR
252 PM PDT Tue Sep 8 2020
...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION...
.DISCUSSION...Extremely critical fire weather conditions continue
this afternoon. Gusty east to southeast winds are impacting many
areas, with observations of 40 mph gusts in the Rogue/Bear Creek
Valleys, the Coast Range and areas east of the Cascades. The tight
surface pressure gradient responsible for these winds won't
really weaken until Wednesday afternoon. There will be some
improvement in conditions tonight as winds in some valleys west of
the Cascades should weaken some. Also, winds should trend lower
tonight east of the Cascades. Elsewhere, including in the Southern
Bear Creek Valley (Ashland) and in the high terrain from the
Cascades westward, gusty winds will continue through tonight. Fire
weather conditions on Wednesday will remain critical from the
Cascade westward due to continuing gusty winds and very low
humidity. Even the valleys where winds diminish some tonight could
pick up again tomorrow. Please see the fire weather discussion
below for more details.
Temperatures today are hot in most places, tempered some by ample
smoke across the region. The standout hot spot is the coast, where
readings are 20 degrees above normal. There, a Heat Advisory will
expire tonight as tomorrow should be significantly cooler. Hot
weather will continue over inland locations through Saturday for
most of the forecast area before the potential for significant
cooling late in the weekend.
Winds transporting the smoke in the region will be from the east in
the low levels and upper levels. That means smoke impacts from today
should look similar tomorrow. One difference will be tonight where
smoke will tend to sink into valleys in a more stable situation and
more areas will likely see degraded air quality tonight and
Wednesday morning. We've relayed DEQ's Air Quality Advisory as an
Air Quality Alert for all our Southern Oregon Counties.
The extended forecast is promising for an actual upper trough that
could bring higher humidity, westerly winds, and a chance for
precipitation. Often these troughs in this type of situation are
sacrificial, meaning they just serve weaken the dry ridge of high
pressure instead of bring any rain of significance. However, we'll
keep an eye on this potential with upcoming shifts.
&&
.AVIATION...For the 09/00Z TAFs...Gusty winds will continue this
afternoon and evening. We're expecting the winds to eventually taper
off by 8pm in the valleys. Therefore, the airport weather warning
will expire at 8pm in Medford. Smoke will push visibilities down to
MVFR and IFR tonight as fires are burning across the region.
No clouds expected through the TAF period as the air is historically
dry over the region.
-Smith
&&
.MARINE...Updated 300 AM PDT Tuesday 8 September 2020....A
strong thermal trough near the coast will move slightly offshore
today into Tuesday night. This is resulting in gusty northeast winds
and steep, choppy seas across the waters. Strongest winds will be
north of Port Orford. However, almost all areas will be affected by
steep seas with the highest seas in the outer waters. We've
maintained a small craft advisory during this time for most areas
except the immediate coast due to a mix of fresh swell and wind seas
from northeast winds creating a chaotic sea state, but this is
especially true beyond about 20 nm from shore.
The trough will remain offshore through Thursday, weakening with
time. Winds and seas will be relatively light Wednesday into
Saturday. -CC
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...Updated 200 PM PDT Tuesday 8 September 2020...A
critical fire weather pattern will remain in place into Wednesday.
East of the Cascades, conditions will remain very dry but winds will
be much lower tonight and Wednesday. Therefore, we aren't expecting
critical conditions to be met as winds will ease late tonight into
Wednesday. Along and west of the Cascades, however, conditions will
remain critical through Wednesday afternoon. Strong gusty winds will
persist through Wednesday afternoon and humidities will be very low.
Recoveries will be poor to very poor and daytime humidities in the
single digits to low teens through Wednesday. Red Flag Warnings
remain in place for the entire forecast area. Please see the RFWMFR
for details.
Recoveries will remain poor to very poor Wednesday night into
Thursday morning, however, winds will be lower so red flag criteria
is not expected to be met. From Thursday on, a transition to a more
typical late summer time pattern will begin. Humidities will improve
significantly along the coast Thursday, but will remain very dry for
inland locations and recoveries will improve for all areas Thursday
night into Friday. No critical fire weather patterns are currently
expected through at least Saturday. Models indicate an upper level
trough will approach the area late this weekend, but are at odds
regarding the timing, strength, and any potential precipitation.
Will monitor for any possible critical conditions ahead of or with
this front. /BR-y
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Frost Advisory from 4 AM to 8 AM PDT Wednesday for ORZ030.
Red Flag Warning until midnight PDT tonight for ORZ625.
Freeze Warning from 4 AM to 8 AM PDT Wednesday for ORZ029-030.
Frost Advisory from 4 AM to 8 AM PDT Wednesday for ORZ029-031.
Heat Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for ORZ021>024.
Red Flag Warning until midnight PDT tonight for ORZ624.
Red Flag Warning until 5 PM PDT Wednesday for ORZ616>623.
Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for ORZ024.
Red Flag Warning until 11 AM PDT Wednesday for ORZ615.
Wind Advisory until 2 PM PDT Wednesday for ORZ026.
Small Craft Advisory from 11 PM this evening to midnight PDT
tonight for ORZ023.
CA...Frost Advisory from 4 AM to 8 AM PDT Wednesday for CAZ085.
Red Flag Warning until midnight PDT tonight for CAZ284-285.
Red Flag Warning until 5 PM PDT Wednesday for CAZ280.
Red Flag Warning until 11 AM PDT Wednesday for CAZ281.
Red Flag Warning until 5 PM PDT Wednesday for CAZ282.
Pacific Coastal Waters...Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for
PZZ350-356.
Heat Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for PZZ356.
Small Craft Advisory until 5 AM PDT Wednesday for PZZ370-376.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Devil Wildfire started on 09/09/20. The cause is under investigation. As of 0630 PDT on 09/30/20, the fire had burned 8410 acres and was 20 percent contained. 0 structures were lost. 400 thousand dollars had been spent on firefighting efforts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in California, September 2020
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: 911343.