Wildfire started on July 17 by human causes.
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.
Wildfire started on July 17 by human causes.
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 17, 1:29 PM PST, 38 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
229 PM PDT Mon Jul 17 2023
.SYNOPSIS...
Gusty winds will continue through the early evening and decrease
overnight, for a pleasant day of weather on Tuesday. Temperatures
will begin to trend warm again Wednesday through the end of the
week as high pressure rebuilds over the region.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Today and Tuesday:
The cold front passage this morning has brought much cooler
temperatures to the Inland Northwest this afternoon, with current
temps 10 to 20 degrees cooler than this time yesterday. Increasing
surface pressure behind this front and a deepening surface low in
the lee of the southern Canadian Rockies has created a tight
southwest pressure gradient across the region. Sustained winds of
15 to 25 mph have been persist through the day with gusts up to 40
mph.
Red Flag Warnings will continue 11PM tonight for the valley
locations of Eastern WA, the lee of the central Cascades, and the
Blue Mountains of Washington. Despite the cooler temperatures, relative
humidity values in the 15 to 30 percent range combined with these
winds, any new or existing fires have the potential to spread
rapidly. Winds will decrease later this evening and overnight as
the trough continues to move east.
The Pacific Northwest will remain in a brief zonal flow into
Tuesday, with pleasant temperatures in the low 80s and RH values
staying in the high teens to low 20s. Winds will be much weaker as
well, with gusts peaking near 10 mph. /Sinowitz/vmt
Wednesday through Sunday: Ridging will yet again build into the
region, with warming temperatures Wednesday and Thursday. The above
normal daytime temps (upper 90s to mid 100s) combined with the warm
low overnight temps (60s) from Wednesday night through Friday night
will lead to hazardous heat conditions, especially for those who do
not have air conditioning in their homes. Fire concerns are minimal
during this time due to the fact there will be less wind. Make sure
to be prepared if you have plans outdoors.
The ridge will continue into this weekend but ensembles are hinting
at another ridge breakdown in the Sunday/Monday timeframe, similar
to what we are seeing today. Specific details are uncertain this far
in advance. Plan for another warm weekend this coming weekend! /KM
&&
.AVIATION...
18Z TAFS: Gusty west-southwest winds will continue through the
morning and peak this afternoon. Winds will be the strongest at
KEAT, KEPH, KMWH, and KOMK where sustained west- southwest winds
of 20 to 25 mph with gusts as high as 40 mph are expected. For
KGEG, KSFF, KCOE, KPUW, and KLWS, sustained winds of 15 to 20 mph
with gusts as high as 35 mph are expected. By 06Z Wednesday, winds
will be below 10 mph regionwide except the Cascade Gaps.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Spokane 52 84 56 92 60 97 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coeur d'Alene 51 83 55 90 58 96 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pullman 47 81 48 90 54 95 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lewiston 59 90 61 98 66 104 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Colville 46 84 50 90 53 96 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sandpoint 48 81 51 88 55 93 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kellogg 53 78 58 88 62 93 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Moses Lake 52 87 55 96 61 101 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wenatchee 56 88 63 94 68 99 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Omak 53 89 61 96 65 101 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...None.
WA...Red Flag Warning until 11 PM PDT this evening for Eastern
Columbia Basin -Palouse -Spokane Area (Zone 708)-Lower
Palouse -Snake River (Zone 709).
Red Flag Warning until 11 PM PDT this evening for Foothills of
Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-Methow Valley (Zone
704)-Okanogan Valley (Zone 703)-Waterville Plateau (Zone
706)-Western Columbia Basin (Zone 707).
Red Flag Warning until 11 PM PDT this evening for Colville
Reservation (Zone 702)-Foothills of Northeast Washington
(Zone 701).
Red Flag Warning until 11 PM PDT this evening for East
Washington Central Cascades (Zone 696).
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Human caused wildfire started on July 17 and was contained on July 21. It burned 520 acres of crop and grassland along Interstate 90.
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: 1127097.