Oregon, 2020Wildfire in Oregon, June 23 to 25, 2020
June 23 to 25, 2020 · NWS PDT · 2 events in 2 counties and zones
Hot, dry and breezy conditions caused a couple of brush and grass fires in Oregon. No significant property damage was reported.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Hot, dry and breezy conditions caused a couple of brush and grass fires in Oregon. No significant property damage was reported.
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 Jun 23, 9:07 AM PST, 2 hours 53 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 23, 9:07 AM PST, 2 hours 53 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
1007 AM PDT Tue Jun 23 2020
Updated aviation discussion
.SHORT TERM...Today through Wednesday...A ridge of high pressure
will be over the region ahead of a fast moving cold front and upper
level trough that will arrive on Wednesday. High temperatures today
will be in the 90s in the lower elevations and 80s in the mountains
making it the hottest day of the year so far. High clouds will begin
to increase overnight and and Wednesday with a cold frontal passage
during the day. The front will be dry other than a few showers along
the Washington Cascade crest and a slight chance of thunderstorms
over the northeast Oregon mountains. Main impact will be some
increasing westerly winds along the east slopes of then Cascades
spilling out into the Columbia Basin. Temperatures will also cool 5
to 10 degrees Wednesday.
.AVIATION...18Z TAFS...VFR conditions will prevail through the TAF
period. Skies will mostly clear across all TAF sites with some
increasing high clouds overnight. Winds will generally be less than
10 kts.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 203 AM PDT Tue Jun 23 2020/
SHORT TERM...Today through Thursday night...High pressure aloft
will persist for another day today with very warm to hot temperatures
across the forecast area. Highs are expected to reach the mid 70s to
mid 80s in the mountains and upper 80s to upper 90s in the lower
elevations. Some locations will likely break 100 degrees, and some
locations will see the first 90 degree day this season, such as the
Pendleton Airport. On Wednesday a moisture lacking cold front will
brush the forecast area and may bring showers over the mountains.
There may also be afternoon thunderstorms over the northeast
mountains. However with the lack of moisture and upper level support
thunderstorms are expected to be non-severe, but there is a
possibility that a storm or two may become strong with small hail
and gusty winds. Moisture is lacking, so am not expecting much rain
from storms on Wednesday. It will be a little cooler Wednesday due
to increasing westerly winds and mixing as well as more cloud cover.
Then high pressure will rebuild back over the region beginning on
Thursday into the extended period with another warming trend.
However, high temperatures will not be unusual for this time of year
even though they will be above normal by about 10 to 15 degrees
today. The threat of wind and low relative humidity may cause a fire
weather concern for the Lower Columbia Basin and eastern Columbia
River Gorge, but the threat is not significant at this time. Will
still need to keep a close eye on conditions on Wednesday afternoon
when winds increase for the lower elevations where the fine
vegetation will be the most cured and dried from the hot and dry
conditions expected during the next couple of days. 88
LONG TERM...Friday through Tuesday...Region will start out under
an upper level ridge of high pressure Friday, leading to
temperatures in the upper 80s to upper 90s outside of the mountains.
The ridge will begin to break down Friday afternoon as a weak
surface front crosses the forecast area and an upper level low
pressure system begins to move south along the British Columbia
coast, turning upper level flow westerly. Some light showers will
develop with the passage of the weak front along the Cascades,
continuing through Saturday under the westerly flow regime. Saturday
evening, the upper level low will swing across the forecast area,
where the center will position itself over the OR/ID/NV border
through Monday. Isolated to scattered showers will develop both
Sunday and Monday across the forecast area, with a slight chance of
thunderstorms developing in the afternoon over the eastern
mountains. Models begin to diverge on the progression of the upper
low Tuesday, with the GFS showing the center of the upper low
kicking east out of the region, while the ECWMF shows the upper low
opening up into a trough over the western CONUS. Either solution, a
slight chance of showers will continue over the mountains. Winds
will be a concern Friday through Sunday as the surface pressure
gradient tightens over the region in response to the colder upper
level system, with breezy/gusty winds developing Friday and Saturday
across portions of the Columbia Basin, in the Kittitas Valley and
the Columbia Gorge. Daytime high will start off in the mid 70s to
mid 80s Saturday, decreasing to unseasonably cooler highs in the
upper 60s and 70s through Monday. Lawhorn/82
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 95 64 88 58 / 0 0 10 10
ALW 95 64 91 62 / 0 0 10 10
PSC 98 66 93 63 / 0 0 0 0
YKM 97 65 89 60 / 0 0 0 0
HRI 98 65 92 62 / 0 0 0 0
ELN 93 62 81 57 / 0 0 0 10
RDM 95 59 85 52 / 0 0 0 0
LGD 89 61 84 55 / 0 0 20 10
GCD 92 60 86 54 / 0 0 10 10
DLS 98 66 86 62 / 0 0 0 0
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...None.
WA...None.
&&
91/91/91
Wildfire, Central Oregon
- When
- June 23, 12:00 PM PST to June 25, 4:00 PM PST
- Where
- Central Oregon forecast zone
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 44.229, -120.920 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Teller Flats fire burned 1000 acres in brush and grass 10 E of Madras. No damage to structures occurred.
Wildfire, Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon
- When
- June 24, 2:00 PM PST to 4:00 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)
Grass fire near east Punkin Center Road in Hermiston damaged a few outbuildings. Size of fire was 4-5 acres.
- 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.
- Heat in California, June 23 to 27, 20201 death · 11 events
- Rip Current in Indiana, June 23, 20201 death · 1 event
- Damaging Winds in Florida, June 23 to 27, 2020$25,000 · 55 kt wind · 24 events
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, June 23, 2020$50,000 · 50 kt wind · 2 events
- Dense Fog in Virginia, June 23, 202021 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New Mexico, June 23, 2020$2,000 · 1.75 in hail · 14 events
- Damaging Winds in Louisiana, June 23, 2020$15,000 · 50 kt wind · 2 events
- Dense Fog in West Virginia, June 23, 20209 events
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, June 23, 202050 kt wind · 6 events
- Damaging Winds in New Mexico, June 23, 2020$1,000 · 59 kt wind · 4 events
- Flooding and Hail in Texas, June 23, 20201.5 in hail · 3 events
- Damaging Winds in Florida, June 23, 2020$5,000 · 3 events
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: 889262, 889263.