The fire started on July 15 from undetermined 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.
The fire started on July 15 from undetermined 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 15, 2:07 PM PST, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
307 PM PDT Mon Jul 15 2024
.SYNOPSIS...
Hot and dry weather will continue this week with widespread upper
90s and triple digit temperatures. On Wednesday there is chance of
thunderstorms across the region containing little to no rainfall.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Tonight through Wednesday Night: An upper ridge will remain over
the region into Tuesday with a slight increase in temperatures.
This increase has prompted the issuance of another heat advisory
for several valleys across the region with moderate to major heat
risk. Most locations within the heat advisory will top out in the
mid 90s to near 103F on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday attention will
turn to a mid level disturbances moving through the region from
the south. An increase in mid level instability, along with a
continued hot and dry low level air mass will increase the
potential for thunderstorms with little to no rain. For most of
the region coverage is expected to be isolated with 700-500mb MU
CAPE values around 200-500 J/KG with moderate amounts of lift.
However areas from the East Slopes of the Cascades into the
Waterville Plateau, Okanogan Valley, and Okanogan Highlands will
be under the core of highest lift and instability with better
model support for scattered coverage. Lightning will raise
concerns for new fire starts across the landscape on Wednesday. In
addition, gusty outflow winds could result in fire spread with any
new starts. A Fire Weather Watch has been issued for several areas
of North Central Washington.
Smoke from the Pioneer Fire will continue this week, impacting air
quality especially around Lake Chelan, and portions of the Methow
Valley. The Department of Ecology has issued an Air Quality Alert
until further notice. JW
Thursday through Monday: The ridge will rebound behind Wednesdays
wave and gradually bring the above normal temperatures to the
region. Temperatures will peak over the weekend with highs
reaching into the upper 90s and low triple digits. Overnight lows
will be the 60s to low 70s. Ensembles are in good agreement of the
ridge pattern over the Pacific Northwest lasting through the
weekend. The models begin to shift the ridge Eastward late Monday
and Tuesday as a trough begins to press into the region. It will
bring slightly cooler temps but also breezy winds. We will have to
keep an eye out for the pattern change. Smoke will continue to
impact the areas near the Pioneer Fire. /JDC
&&
.AVIATION...
00Z TAFS: VFR conditions will prevail. Local reductions in
visibility are possible near and downwind of Lake Chelan due to
smoke from the Pioneer Fire. Breezy winds will continue through
the afternoon with the strongest winds in the lee of the
Cascades.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence
in VFR conditions.
-----------------------
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 61 97 64 99 64 99 / 0 0 0 20 20 0
Coeur d'Alene 59 93 61 97 63 96 / 0 0 0 10 20 0
Pullman 55 93 59 95 60 94 / 0 0 0 20 10 0
Lewiston 66 103 69 104 71 105 / 0 0 0 20 10 0
Colville 53 95 54 97 54 97 / 0 0 0 20 20 0
Sandpoint 55 91 56 95 56 95 / 0 0 0 10 20 0
Kellogg 63 92 67 95 68 94 / 0 0 0 10 20 0
Moses Lake 60 100 64 102 63 101 / 0 0 0 20 10 0
Wenatchee 68 100 74 100 71 102 / 0 0 0 20 20 0
Omak 65 103 67 103 66 104 / 0 0 0 20 20 0
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Heat Advisory from noon Tuesday to 10 PM PDT Thursday for Coeur
d'Alene Area-Idaho Palouse-Lewiston Area.
WA...Heat Advisory from noon Tuesday to 10 PM PDT Thursday 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.
Fire Weather Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday
evening for Colville Reservation (Zone 702)-East Portion of
North Cascades National Park/Lake Chelan National
Recreation Area (Zone 697)-East Washington Central Cascades
(Zone 696)-East Washington North Cascades (Zone 698)-
Foothills of Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-Methow
Valley (Zone 704)-Okanogan Highlands and Kettle Mountains
(Zone 699)-Okanogan Valley (Zone 703)-Waterville Plateau
(Zone 706).
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Cougar Creek Fire started July 15 from unknown cause. It burned 24091 acres of 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, July 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: 1205176.