Name: Wildfire in California, September 13, 2022
Start: 2022-09-13T12:00
End: 2022-09-13T16:30
Location: California

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 STO wrote it up.

The Dutch Fire started on September 13th at 1 pm PDT on I-80WB, near the Dutch Flat off-ramp. The cause is under investigation. The fire started in very hot and dry weather in an area with drought conditions with exceptionally dry vegetation.

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 Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 13, 2:30 AM PST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 13, 2:30 AM PST, 9 hours 30 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sacramento CA
330 AM PDT Tue Sep 13 2022

.Synopsis...
Cooling trend this week. Smoke from area wildfires will persist
over portions of interior NorCal. A few showers or thunderstorms
will be possible over the northern Sierra Nevada through Wednesday.

&&

.Discussion...
Partly to mostly cloudy skies persist across most of the region
early this morning. Short wave brushing across northwest
California is interacting with lingering Kay moisture resulting in
a few light showers across interior NorCal. Surface pressure
gradients continue to trend toward stronger onshore as high
pressure shifts east resulting in significant cooling. Current
temperatures are running around 5-10 degrees cooler compared to 24
hours ago and generally range from the 60s to lower 70s across the
Central Valley.

Cooler weather is expected for the remainder of the week as
troughing over the eastern Pacific moves over NorCal. This will
push the remaining moisture southeast with time, so shower chances
will likely end in the northern Sierra after mid-week. Onshore
flow will also act to bring in higher humidity levels, reducing
fire weather concerns over time. Breezy winds are possible today
and Wednesday through the Delta and over ridges. Smoke is also
expected to be mostly pushed to the east during the day.

&&

.EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Saturday THROUGH Tuesday)...
Upper low over PacNW digs southward over the weekend with models
continuing to show some associated precipitation possible over
portions of interior NorCal. Best chances expected over the
mountains and northern portions of the Sacramento Valley Sunday.
Much cooler temperatures expected Sunday with some light snow
possible over highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada.

Drier weather forecast Monday as the system shifts to the east.
Northerly wind possible later Monday into Tuesday as high pressure
builds inland. Significant warming early next week, but high
temperatures remain below normal through Tuesday.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR over interior NorCal next 24 hrs exc lcl MVFR/IFR/LIFR poss in
HZ/FU vcnty of Mosquito Fire. Isolated -SHRA/-TSRA over Sierra
Nevada btwn 18z-03z. Sly Sfc wind up to 15 kts in Cntrl Vly with
lcl gusts to 25 kts. Vcnty of Delta, SWly sfc wind up to 25 kts
with lcl gusts up to 35 kts poss at times.

&&

.STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None.

&&

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada

When: September 13, 12:00 PM PST to 4:30 PM PST
Where: West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada forecast zone
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue

The Dutch Fire started on September 13th at 1 pm PDT on I-80WB, near the Dutch Flat off-ramp. Winds were generally light over the area, around 5-10 mph with gusts less than 20 mph. Humidity hovered in the 20-30% range with temperatures in the upper 70s.|Around 1:30 pm PDT lane and ramp closures of I-80 began, along with evacuations of nearby residents. At 2 pm PDT I-80WB was closed and by 3:15 PM PDT it was closed in both directions. At 3:10 pm PDT a power outage was reported along I-80 from Applegate to Colfax, impacting 1785 customers. Around 5:30 pm PDT reports of progress stopped and evacuations were lifted, with 26 acres burned.

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 California in 2022 Every state in 2022 This day in weather history Warnings in California, September 2022

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: 1058210.