Washington, 2024

Wildfire in Washington, August 20 to 31, 2024

August 20 to 31, 2024 · NWS OTX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Upper Ruby Wildfire was started on August 20 by unconfirmed lightning. It is located 16 miles Northwest of Cusick.

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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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$3.7 million
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 OTX wrote it up.

Upper Ruby Wildfire was started on August 20 by unconfirmed lightning. It is located 16 miles Northwest of Cusick. It was contained September 3.

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 Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 20, 2:20 PM PST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 20, 2:20 PM PST, 35 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
320 PM PDT Tue Aug 20 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
Temperatures for the remainder of the week into the weekend will
be at or below average. Highs in the 70s to mid 80s will be common
through Sunday. There will be occasional chances for showers and
thunderstorms along with periods of breezy winds during this
unsettled weather pattern. Drier weather will likely return Monday
with a good chance of warmer than normal weather toward the end of
August into the beginning of September.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
This afternoon through Thursday: Temperatures this afternoon are
running around five degrees cooler than they were yesterday due to
a low spinning over the Olympic Peninsula sending cooler air in
our direction. As we head into the evening, that low will track
inland along the WA/Canada border, increasing chances for showers
for the ID Panhandle, Palouse, and Northeast WA.

Showers will persist through the night and into early tomorrow
morning before dwindling. By tomorrow afternoon, showers will be
confined to the mountains as the low exits the region. Many
locations will see high temperatures in the 70s tomorrow - a few
degrees cooler than the high temperatures we're experiencing today.

A brief rebound in temperatures is expected on Thursday as another
low digs down the coast, putting us in a southerly upper-level flow
regime. Warm, moist air flowing in out of the south will bring
cloudy skies, and highs will jump back up into the mid to upper 80s.
While air in the upper levels of the atmosphere will be flowing out
of the south ushering in warmth and moisture, air at the surface
will be flowing out of the north due to the pressure gradient
created by higher pressure over Canada and lower pressure over
Oregon and California. Breezy northerly winds are anticipated
particularly down the Okanogan Valley and Purcell trench on Thursday.
Chances of showers over Central and Eastern WA range from 20 to 40
percent Thursday into Thursday night. /Fewkes

Friday to Tuesday: Low pressure centered off the Oregon coast near
the start of this period will migrate inland through the weekend,
with the threat of showers and thunderstorms with cooler than
normal temperatures before at least a weak/flat ridge builds
early next week. The shower chances remain near the Cascades early
Friday, then start to expand out Friday afternoon into Saturday,
retreating some Saturday night to Sunday morning, before being
revitalized Sunday afternoon. Overall the best chance for wetting
rain will remain around the mountains. Additionally, embedded
thunderstorms are possible each day. Again the higher risk will
be around the mountains and in the afternoon. It will be a bit
breezy as well as this system pushes through, with gusts near
15-20 mph most across the lee of the Cascades eastward over the
Columbia Basin toward southeast WA and lower ID. Monday into next
Tuesday the area transitions to that ridge or at least a flatter
flow, shifting the main shower risk to the mountains and for the
afternoon hours. Temperatures will hover near to slightly below
normal Friday, the look to be more confidently below normal (by
about 10 degrees) for the weekend before temperatures start to
push back closer to normal heading into the new work week.
/Solveig

&&

.AVIATION...
18Z TAFS: There will be a 15 to 30 percent chance for showers and
thunderstorms overnight as a low that is currently over the
Olympic Peninsula moves inland. Areas most likely to see showers
include the Cascade Crest, Northern WA and Northern ID including
CQV and SZT, and Southeastern WA into the Central ID Panhandle
including PUW and LWS.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Confidence in
showers tonight into early morning Wednesday is low, so did not
mention in the TAFs for now. Thunderstorms may be embedded within
any clusters of showers that develop and may be added to TAF
updates for Lewiston, Pullman, and potentially Spokane and Coeur
d'Alene.

-----------------------

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        55  78  56  88  56  81 /  30  30   0  10  10  20
Coeur d'Alene  54  77  53  87  57  81 /  40  50   0  10  10  20
Pullman        50  74  49  85  50  75 /  30  20   0  10  10  30
Lewiston       61  84  60  92  61  84 /  30  10   0  10   0  30
Colville       43  77  45  84  47  85 /  50  30   0  10  10  20
Sandpoint      50  76  50  83  55  82 /  40  60   0  10  10  20
Kellogg        55  74  56  85  59  80 /  40  40   0   0  10  30
Moses Lake     51  79  57  85  56  81 /  20   0  10  20  10  20
Wenatchee      58  78  62  81  63  82 /  20  10  10  30  20  30
Omak           54  81  57  84  60  89 /  50  10  10  30  10  30

&&

.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...None.
WA...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, Northeast Mountains

When
August 20, 2:55 PM PST to August 31, 11:59 PM PST
Where
Northeast Mountains forecast zone
Property damage
$3.7 million
Reported by
Park/Forest Service
Coordinates
48.184, -117.511 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Upper Ruby Wildfire was started on August 20 by unconfirmed lightning. It is located 16 miles Northwest of Cusick. It was contained September 3. It burned 280 acres of timber. Cost is estimated.

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 Washington in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, August 2024

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: 1214317.