Fire started on July 12 from unknown cause.
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 OTX wrote it up.
Fire started on July 12 from unknown cause.
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 Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 12, 2:56 PM PST, 2 hours 37 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 356 PM PDT Wed Jul 12 2023 .SYNOPSIS... For the rest of the week into early next week there will be a steady warming trend, peaking this weekend before cooling slightly on Monday. Winds will be occasionally gusty in the afternoons as well, peaking on Monday which could create dangerous fire conditions when combined with low relative humidities. && .DISCUSSION... Today through Friday: Our upper level shortwave disturbance is pushing through the PacNW today and as a result we're seeing mountain shower and thunderstorm activity blossoming over northwest Okanogan County (slower moving) and the far northern Idaho Panhandle. Precipitable water is over 0.8" (140% of normal) with storm motion in northwest Okanogan County slower (5-10 knots) compared with eastern Washington and north Idaho closer to 15 knots. The available instability (CAPE) is focused in the northern mountain counties of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. We have a cold front pushing through the Cascades today which is enhancing the gap winds through the Cascades with sustained winds 15- 20 mph and some gusts approaching 30-35 mph. We will see the enhancement of the winds through the evening hours before relaxing overnight. Our humidities will begin climbing by the time the winds really become gusty, so our fire concern is not as high today. Thursday will feature some scattered showers and thunderstorms mainly along the Canadian/Idaho border but should mainly be moving to the north and east. A ridge of high pressure will begin building in Thursday and Friday as we move into the weekend. Heat risk will be on the rise as the pattern begins to take shape similar to what we saw last weekend with 850mb temperature anomaly values moving toward 5-6C which will further strengthen over the weekend. /Dewey Saturday through Wednesday: The Inland Northwest is in for another heat wave this weekend as a ridge builds over us. Daytime temperatures will range from the mid 90s up to 102 on Saturday and will warm into the upper 90s to as hot as 105 by Sunday. We won't get much relief overnight as temperatures will struggle to drop below the 60s for many locations Saturday night and Sunday night. A low pressure system will approach the coast of British Columbia heading into the workweek, bringing highs back down into the 80s and low 90s Monday afternoon. In addition to the heat, conditions will be breezy through the Cascade gaps Sunday and Monday afternoon and relative humidities will be low, allowing any wildfires that are burning to spread quickly. Wind gusts up to 40 mph will be possible for Wenatchee and the Waterville Plateau. After the initial temperature drop on Monday, temperatures will continue to cool into the low to mid 80s through Wednesday. After Wednesday, models are hinting at another warmup. As usual, take extra care to drink plenty of water and electrolytes and avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially on those warmest days! /Fewkes && .AVIATION... 00Z TAFS: TAF sites will be VFR with dry conditions and scattered high clouds through the region. There will be a 20-40% chance for showers and thunderstorms in the northern mountains through 06Z tonight as a system approaches from the west. Breezy northwesterly winds will continue through the Cascade Gaps this afternoon affecting KEAT with gusts up to 25 knots. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 58 86 59 91 60 95 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Coeur d'Alene 58 86 57 89 59 93 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pullman 54 83 52 87 55 92 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 65 92 64 97 66 102 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colville 49 86 52 90 54 94 / 20 10 0 0 0 0 Sandpoint 54 83 54 87 55 91 / 10 10 0 0 0 0 Kellogg 60 80 60 84 63 90 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Moses Lake 57 91 57 94 60 99 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 61 89 62 94 65 97 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Omak 59 91 62 96 64 99 / 20 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...None. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Fire started on July 12 from unknown cause. It was contained on July 14. It burned 1700 acres of brush. No structures lost.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, July 2023
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: 1127100.