Upper Ruby Wildfire was started on August 20 by unconfirmed lightning. It is located 16 miles Northwest of Cusick.
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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.
Upper Ruby Wildfire was started on August 20 by unconfirmed lightning. It is located 16 miles Northwest of Cusick. It was contained September 3.
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 31, 9:20 PM PST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
1020 PM PDT Sat Aug 31 2024
.SYNOPSIS...
The Labor Day weekend will feature much warmer than average
temperatures with most of the Inland Northwest exceeding 90
degrees Sunday and Monday. The arrival of a cold front Monday
night into Tuesday will bring breezy conditions and the chance for
showers and thunderstorms. Hot temperatures look to return over
the Inland Northwest for the latter half of next week as the ridge
of high pressure rebounds.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Today through Monday:
-Hot and dry conditions continue through tomorrow with Moderate to
Major HeatRisk. Elevated wildfire risk due to drying fuels today
and tomorrow.
-Chance of showers and thunderstorms in the Inland Northwest
Monday. Elevated wildfire risk due to lightning.
The ridge axis centered over Washington will shift eastward into
Northwest Montana tomorrow. Sunday will be the warmest day of the
Labor day weekend in the Inland Northwest with widespread highs in
the 90s and perhaps 100 in the L-C valley. A compact shortwave
will bring a threat of showers and thunderstorms to much of the
region Monday. Southeast Washington and the Idaho Panhandle has a
20-40% chance of a wetting rain (0.10” or more) Monday morning
through Tuesday morning. Elsewhere has a 5-20% chance of wetting
rains. As of now, models have stronger convection in the Columbia
Gorge, Lower Columbia Basin, and the Oregon Blue Mtns Monday
afternoon. Models show the activity decaying as it moves north
into the upper Columbia Basin, Palouse, L-C valley but still pose
a threat of 35 mph outflow winds. /Butler
Tuesday through Saturday:
The low pressure disturbance will start pushing east of the Inland
Northwest on Tuesday, but chances for showers will linger across
SE Washington and northern Idaho. Tuesday also looks like the
coolest day of the upcoming week, though daytime temps will still
be near to slightly warmer than normal. Strong high pressure
rebuilds back into the region for Wednesday and the likely the
following several days. Max temperatures are forecast to be about
10-15 degrees above normal, and dry conditions are anticipated.
/KD
&&
.AVIATION...
06Z TAFS: VFR conditions and light winds will prevail. KPUW is
the exception tonight. Models show southeast winds funneling
smoke from Idaho Panhandle fires into KPUW after about 08-12z
until around 17 to 20z.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Moderate
confidence in MVFR haze at KPUW tomorrow morning.
-----------------------
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 57 95 60 89 57 82 / 0 0 0 10 30 10
Coeur d'Alene 57 93 58 88 56 79 / 0 0 0 10 40 20
Pullman 51 93 57 85 49 77 / 0 0 0 20 50 30
Lewiston 63 100 64 93 63 86 / 0 0 0 20 50 30
Colville 51 95 53 92 50 84 / 0 0 0 0 30 10
Sandpoint 49 88 55 88 51 77 / 0 0 0 10 30 20
Kellogg 60 91 63 89 57 77 / 0 0 0 10 50 30
Moses Lake 56 97 62 91 57 86 / 0 0 0 10 10 0
Wenatchee 68 97 72 91 65 87 / 0 0 0 10 20 0
Omak 62 98 64 95 60 89 / 0 0 0 10 20 0
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Heat Advisory until 9 PM PDT Monday for Central Panhandle
Mountains-Coeur d'Alene Area-Northern Panhandle.
Heat Advisory until 9 PM PDT Sunday for Idaho Palouse-Lewiston
Area.
WA...Heat Advisory until 9 PM PDT Monday for Northeast Mountains-
Spokane Area.
Heat Advisory until 9 PM PDT Sunday for Central Chelan County-
Lower Garfield and Asotin Counties-Moses Lake Area-Okanogan
Highlands-Okanogan Valley-Upper Columbia Basin-Washington
Palouse-Waterville Plateau-Wenatchee Area-Western Chelan
County-Western Okanogan County.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
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.
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, September 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: 1218728.