Name: Wildfire in Idaho, June 14 to 15, 2021
Start: 2021-06-14T14:30
End: 2021-06-15T19:00
Location: Idaho

Where it happened

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.

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Wind
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Heat and drought
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Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $310,000
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 PIH wrote it up.

A human caused wildfire was started about 5 miles south of American Falls and spread rapidly on June 14th. It was noticed at about 3:30 PM. Two homes were destroyed by the fire. Evacuations were ordered for the areas of Cold Creek Road, Ferry Hollow Road, Sunbeam Road, Indian Springs Road, Moonlight Lane, Hornbacher Road, Mayer Road, Garden Road, and all offshoots of those roads. Residents were relocated to American Falls High School. The fire downed several power lines. Strong winds initially occurred and the fire grew rapidly to 3,843 acres. It was a grass, brush and juniper fire.

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 Pocatello, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 14, 1:29 PM MST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 14, 1:29 PM MST, 1 hour 1 minute before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pocatello ID
229 PM MDT Mon Jun 14 2021

.SHORT TERM...Tonight through Wednesday. After another hot day
across eastern Idaho, we are looking for temperatures to return to
more "typical" numbers for mid-June. We might see a storm through
early evening north of Challis, otherwise nothing is on the
horizon for a few days. It will be pretty breezy tonight and
Tuesday as a big chunk of the low swings across the Pacific
Northwest into Canada. At the moment though, we are not looking at
any wind-related headlines. Keyes

.LONG TERM...Thursday through Monday. On Friday and Saturday the
deterministic GFS continues to show very weak moisture working its
way up to the southern Idaho border, but this still seems like an
outlier, and there is no mention of any precipitation chances in the
forecast. The four corners high will retreat southwest towards the
Gulf of California over the weekend as energy pushes south from
Canada. This will provide relief from the warm temperatures. By
Sunday and Monday there is a slight chance of some convection in the
northeast part of the CWA as moisture rides along the northwesterly
flow. Otherwise conditions will be dry.
Crawford

&&

.AVIATION...High pressure over the region continues to keep
conditions dry and clear. A few cu over higher terrain will
dissipate with sunset. Gusty southwest winds will return on Tuesday
ahead of approaching short wave.
Crawford

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...It looks like dry heading into the weekend, even
with a pattern change taking place. The central mountains is still
on the fringe of some moisture through tomorrow. It's just enough
that we may see a storm or two across the Lemhi County portion of
475 through evening, and again tomorrow afternoon near Lost Trail
Pass. Another night of very poor humidity recovery across portions
of 476, 411 and 413 is on tap tonight. Humidity values come up a
bit tomorrow as part of the low offshore moves inland and
eventually into Canada. However, it will be breezy areawide. Where
we have critical fuels (422, 425 and 427), pockets of critical
fire conditions are possible...but nothing widespread enough to
issue any Red Flag Warnings. Elsewhere, fires could certainly
spread where we see conditions hitting thresholds for wind and
humidity tomorrow. Wednesday will be even cooler, but still dry.
Winds will be much lighter even across the Arco Desert and central
mountains. Heading toward the weekends, the pattern will be more
westerly...but warmer with dry surface air returning. It will also
be breezy each day. Some monsoon moisture aloft may work in by
later in the weekend, but any threat of storms is low and
confidence is certainly low right now.  Keyes

&&

.PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Lower Snake River Plain

When: June 14, 2:30 PM MST to June 15, 7:00 PM MST
Where: Lower Snake River Plain forecast zone
Property damage: $310,000
Reported by: Park/Forest Service
Coordinates: 42.860, -112.488 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A human caused wildfire was started about 5 miles south of American Falls and spread rapidly on June 14th. It was noticed at about 3:30 PM. Two homes were destroyed by the fire. Evacuations were ordered for the areas of Cold Creek Road, Ferry Hollow Road, Sunbeam Road, Indian Springs Road, Moonlight Lane, Hornbacher Road, Mayer Road, Garden Road, and all offshoots of those roads. Residents were relocated to American Falls High School. The fire downed several power lines. Strong winds initially occurred and the fire grew rapidly to 3,843 acres. It was a grass, brush and juniper fire.

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 Idaho in 2021 Every state in 2021 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, June 2021

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: 965368.