The Swawilla Fire started on July 17 by lightning. It continued through August 16.
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.
The Swawilla Fire started on July 17 by lightning. It continued through August 16.
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 31, 8:46 PM PST, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
946 PM PDT Wed Jul 31 2024
.SYNOPSIS...
The weather will become much hotter through Saturday, with
temperatures peaking in the triple digits Friday. Though not
quite as hot, temperatures will remain well above average for
Sunday through much of next week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Evening update: minor adjustments made to increase smoke/haze
coverage over the next couple days.
Previous discussion...
Temperatures will turn hotter for Thursday through Saturday with
strong high pressure across the Inland northwest. Temperatures are
expected to peak on Friday with many locations expected to reach
100+ degrees, with some locations having the potential to set
daily records. Some models indicate the potential for isolated dry
thunderstorms across the Cascades late Friday into the overnight
hours. Something to watch in the next 24 hrs. In addition, enough
moisture and instability will lead to slight chances for high-
based mountain showers and thunderstorms for Saturday through
early next week, but confidence is low at this point. Best chances
would be across far northeast WA and the northern ID panhandle.
Daytime temperatures moderate for Sunday onward, but are still
likely to run 8 to 12 degrees above normal for most locations.
Despite the occasional chances for showers, significant wetting
rains are not forecast through the 7 day forecast. /KD
&&
.AVIATION...
06Z TAFS: Skies will be mainly clear. Smoke is not expected to
significantly reduce visibility except in the immediate vicinity
of active fires most of the next 24 hours.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence in
prevailing VFR conditions with the exception of smoke near active
fires. There is some potential wildfire smoke or haze begins to
increase after 00Z Aug 02 (Thursday afternoon and evening) which
may start to impact visibility at TAF sites, but confidence is
very low.
-----------------------
Confidence descriptors:
Low - Less than a 30 percent chance
Moderate - 30 to 70
percent chance
High - Greater than a 70 percent chance
For additional probabilistic information for NWS Spokane airports,
please refer to the Aviation Dashboard on our webpage:
https:/www.weather.gov/otx/avndashboard
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Spokane 60 97 64 104 70 99 / 0 0 0 0 10 10
Coeur d'Alene 58 94 62 101 67 97 / 0 0 0 0 10 0
Pullman 56 95 62 101 65 94 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lewiston 67 104 72 109 76 102 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Colville 50 94 52 101 57 99 / 0 0 0 0 10 10
Sandpoint 54 91 57 97 62 94 / 0 0 0 0 0 10
Kellogg 61 92 68 99 72 96 / 0 0 0 0 10 0
Moses Lake 60 99 66 106 68 99 / 0 0 0 0 10 10
Wenatchee 69 99 76 105 76 102 / 0 0 0 0 10 10
Omak 62 101 67 106 71 105 / 0 0 0 0 10 10
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Heat Advisory from 11 AM Friday to 8 PM PDT Saturday for
Northern Panhandle.
Excessive Heat Warning from 11 AM Thursday to 8 PM PDT Saturday
for Central Panhandle Mountains-Coeur d'Alene Area-Idaho
Palouse-Lewis and Southern Nez Perce Counties-Lewiston Area.
WA...Heat Advisory from 11 AM Friday to 8 PM PDT Saturday for
Northeast Mountains-Okanogan Highlands.
Excessive Heat Warning from 11 AM Thursday to 8 PM PDT Saturday
for Central Chelan County-Lower Garfield and Asotin
Counties-Moses Lake Area-Okanogan Valley-Spokane Area-Upper
Columbia Basin-Washington Palouse-Waterville Plateau-
Wenatchee Area-Western Okanogan County.
Heat Advisory from 11 AM Thursday to 8 PM PDT Saturday for
Northeast Blue Mountains.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The fire started on July 17 by lightning. It was contained on Aug 16. It is located 11 miles east of Grand Coulee. The fire burned 53462 acres of mixed grass and timber. The cost is estimated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, August 2024
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: 1214425.