Narrative was pulled from InciWEB site. Lightning sparked the Lionshead Fire, which began August 16, 2020, in Lionshead Canyon on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation approximately 14 miles west of the Warm Springs community.
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 PDT wrote it up.
Narrative was pulled from InciWEB site. Lightning sparked the Lionshead Fire, which began August 16, 2020, in Lionshead Canyon on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation approximately 14 miles west of the Warm Springs community. An historic windstorm arrived in the area on Monday, September 7, rapidly spreading the fire west onto the Willamette, Deschutes and Mt. Hood National Forests. The Lionshead Fire has heavily impacted several communities in the Santiam drainage and Breitenbush area, including the loss of 264 resident homes in Detroit. Highly valued natural and cultural resources were also threatened.
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 Sep 30, 9:19 PM PST, 2 hours 41 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Pendleton OR 1019 PM PDT Wed Sep 30 2020 Updated Aviation Discussion Short Term...Tonight and Thursday...Few changes for tonight and tomorrow's forecast, as high- amplitude ridging continues to control our weather. High temps read lower in more elevated areas Wednesday due to smoke layer aloft, particularly in Bend/Redmond and the Blue Mountains, so adjusted highs downward for those areas, and lows upward to compensate for any insulating effects of the smoke. Haze may become more visible during the day Thursday, otherwise quiet conditions expected with above-average highs in the low to mid 80's, except 70's in the mountains. PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 105 PM PDT Wed Sep 30 2020/ SHORT TERM...Tonight through Saturday...High pressure aloft will remain parked over the region through the short term period. This will keep warm and dry conditions, with light winds, over the forecast area. The only fly in the ointment will be the smoke from the California wildfires. If the smoke becomes too thick, temperatures will be held down a few degrees during the day. However, the smoke is fairly thin and is in an elevated layer over the CWA at this time. Temperatures were only a degree or two cooler than yesterday a couple of hours ago, but they have since increased and become similar to yesterday. Am still expecting max temperature readings in the mid 80s lower elevations and 70s in the mountains. This is about 10-15 degrees above normal, and in fact temperatures they will be near record highs for most of the forecast area this afternoon and again on Thursday afternoon. Winds will be light through the period, though there may be some diurnal increases in the afternoons through the Cascade gaps, passes and the eastern Columbia Gorge, especially on Friday as a thermal trough deepens over the forecast area. 88 LONG TERM...Saturday night through Wednesday...A dry cold front is expected to move across the region Saturday night and on Sunday. It will bring some increase in mid and high clouds along with some increase in wind, though the longer range models have backed off a little on the winds. RH's will be high enough such that the combination of wind and RH will not reach critical fire weather conditions. High pressure aloft will then build back over the region on Monday and will persist through the rest of the extended forecast period, or at least through Wednesday. Temperatures will cool off a few degrees from Sunday's cold front, and then it will become warmer again by a few degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, will need to keep alert to how much smoke is present or expected, which may affect the afternoon high temperatures Tuesday and Wednesday. All indications are such that it will remain at least 10 degrees above normal. After Sunday, winds will become lighter again as well. 88 .AVIATION...06z TAFs...VFR conditions will continue as high pressure aloft will keep skies clear and winds light. Smoke layer aloft from California fires may cause haze to build throughout the day, especially in OR, but no impacts to aviation expected. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 45 81 50 82 / 0 0 0 0 ALW 47 80 54 84 / 0 0 0 0 PSC 47 80 51 84 / 0 0 0 0 YKM 47 81 51 85 / 0 0 0 0 HRI 47 82 51 86 / 0 0 0 0 ELN 43 77 50 85 / 0 0 0 0 RDM 42 83 45 87 / 0 0 0 0 LGD 43 75 46 83 / 0 0 0 0 GCD 49 89 50 89 / 0 0 0 0 DLS 51 84 56 90 / 0 0 0 0 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...None. WA...None. && SHORT TERM...74 LONG TERM....99 AVIATION...74
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, October 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: 921127.