The Black Pine Fire was a lightning induced fire on August 18th that burned 1,000 acres 6 miles north of the Utah border near interstate 84 mile marker 270. It burned grass, brush and juniper and spread very rapidly.
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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 PIH wrote it up.
The Black Pine Fire was a lightning induced fire on August 18th that burned 1,000 acres 6 miles north of the Utah border near interstate 84 mile marker 270. It burned grass, brush and juniper and spread very rapidly. It was finally contained on August 21st.
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 Pocatello, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 18, 1:20 PM MST, 8 hours 40 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 220 PM MDT Tue Aug 18 2020 .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Thursday night. General pattern remains controlled by high pressure ridge over Four corners/Great Basin region, with apex of ridge across East Idaho. Overnight lows remain very warm for at least one more night, elevating Heat Risk across lower elevations while daytime highs remain well above normal. Thus Heat Advisory remains in place. Moisture working around the ridge favors isolated to scattered thunderstorm development today through Thursday. Best chance for thunderstorms (generally dry with little precipitation) occurs Wednesday and Thursday as shortwave lifts through the region. High-resolution short term models remain wildly inconsistent regarding coverage and placement, so trended with prior forecast and kept precipitation chances higher than blended solution. Conditions remain favorable for strong to marginally severe wind gusts from any storm that forms, mainly across the higher elevation regions today and tomorrow. With shortwave passing through Thursday, expect temperatures to drop a few degrees, possibly enough to allow Heat Advisories to expire. DMH .LONG TERM...Friday through Tuesday. Flow continues to flatten with more of a westerly component aloft headed into the weekend. This should have the effect of pushing the moisture flow to the east and out of the region for a drier forecast. Temperatures slowly climb again, and we could be back in the realm of Heat Risk by Sunday/Monday depending on how fast the ridge can rebound and what the overnight lows trend. There is still mid-level hints of the high pressure over the Four Corners region into early next week, with moisture trying to surge north through the Great Basin. Stronger trough off Pacific coast tries to work inland Monday, so Monday/Tuesday could be the next chance at seeing thunderstorm activity across East Idaho. DMH && .AVIATION...This afternoon still has a chance to see TSRA at KBYI and KDIJ, but threat barely reaches slight chance, thus only VCTS. Enough mid-level moisture coming in to generate some nocturnal isolated SHRA tonight, but do not expect TS during the overnight hours at this time. The SHRA do produce variable wind at KSUN, making for a difficult choice for pilots. The SHRA will continue through Wed morning, and generate ISOLD to SCT TSRA during the afternoon. Best threat at KIDA and KDIJ on Wed afternoon. These should be very high-based TSRA, but could have outflow to around 60 mph. Messick && .FIRE WEATHER...Not as confident that scattered coverage will develop late this afternoon and this evening, but the lightning has just started at this time. The Salmon-Challis NF and Targhee NF are still in an area of marginal risk of severe thunderstorms, which means outflow winds in this area could reach 60 mph or more. This continues on Wed, adding portions of the Caribou NF and the northern end of the Idaho Falls BLM areas. The scattered threat of thunderstorms however appears limited to the Targhee NF and eastern half of the Salmon-Challis NF, so have issued a Red Flag Warning for these areas. On Thursday, the general wind increases as the high pressure shifts slightly, and with the deep mixing in the near- record heat for the next 6 days, these stronger winds should start reaching the surface, producing critical fire weather conditions in the Snake River plain due to low humidity and strong wind gusts. This should subside for Fri, though not by much. The ridge shifts back over and by Sat the temperatures are once again near record. Mon afternoon is the next chance of thunderstorm activity, with temperatures in the lower elevations finally returning below 90 deg F on Tue. Messick && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Heat Advisory until 9 PM MDT Wednesday for IDZ051>059-068-070- 075. Red Flag Warning until 10 PM MDT this evening for IDZ411-422-475- 476. Red Flag Warning from noon to 6 PM MDT Wednesday for IDZ411-476. &&
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Pocatello ID 1046 PM MDT Tue Aug 18 2020 IDZ058>060-062-190515- Franklin/Eastern Oneida Region ID-Bear River Range ID- Marsh and Arbon Highlands ID-Blackfoot Mountains ID- 1046 PM MDT Tue Aug 18 2020 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN CARIBOU... NORTHEASTERN ONEIDA...BANNOCK...EAST CENTRAL POWER AND NORTHWESTERN FRANKLIN COUNTIES UNTIL 1115 PM MDT... At 1044 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a a line of showers near Arimo, or near Lava Hot Springs. This storm is moving east north east at 10 to 15 mph. Moderate to strong outflow winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. These winds will likely reduce visibilities temporarily due to blowing dust. This can also make driving difficult. Locations impacted include... McCammon, Lava Hot Springs, Swanlake, Inkom, Downey, Arimo, Virginia, Oneida Narrows Reservoir, Oxford, Hawkins Reservoir and Malad Pass. LAT...LON 4222 11212 4264 11247 4289 11211 4232 11168 TIME...MOT...LOC 0444Z 173DEG 3KT 4256 11210 TW
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Black Pine Fire was a lightning induced fire on August 18th that burned 1,000 acres 6 miles north of the Utah border near interstate 84 mile marker 270. It burned grass, brush and juniper and spread very rapidly. It was finally contained on August 21st.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, August 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: 916498.