Central Ferry Wildfire started on August 13 by a suspected human cause. It was located 26 miles West of Pullman, Washington.
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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.
Central Ferry Wildfire started on August 13 by a suspected human cause. It was located 26 miles West of Pullman, Washington.
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 13, 9:52 AM PST, 1 hour 49 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
1052 AM PDT Wed Aug 13 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Critical fire weather conditions Wednesday due to windy and
dry conditions
- Cooling trend Thursday through end of week with showers for
the weekend.
&&
.SYNOPSIS...
A cold front passage on Wednesday will bring windy conditions
across the Inland Northwest. Low relative humidity with gusty
winds will result in critical fire weather conditions across
much of eastern Washington. Showers are expected to return for
the weekend along with cooler temperatures.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Wednesday: A shortwave, evident on water vapor satellite imagery
this evening, is approaching the northwest coast as an upper-level
trough slides south over British Columbia. This shortwave will
deliver a stronger push of onshore flow and cooler air into western
Washington on Wednesday, increasing the thermal and pressure
gradients across the Cascades. Deterministic models indicate a +9 to
+12 mb sea level pressure difference between PDX and GEG by
Wednesday afternoon. Winds will increase across much of the region
by morning, peaking in the afternoon with the greatest boundary
layer mixing.
Nearly all moisture associated with this system will be wrung out
over the Cascades, leaving dry conditions east of the crest. While
temperatures will cool slightly from Tuesday, highs will still warm
into the 90s with continued low relative humidity across the Inland
Northwest. Afternoon relative humidity values in the teens to low
20s, combined with stronger winds, will create critical fire weather
conditions for much of the region. The strongest winds are expected
in the lee of the Cascades, through the Waterville Plateau, Upper
Columbia Basin, West Plains, and Snake River area, where the NBM
shows a 90% chance of sustained winds exceeding 25 mph. A Red Flag
Warning is in effect from noon to 9 PM Wednesday. Any new fires will
spread rapidly. Use extreme caution with any activities that could
produce sparks.
Thursday through Monday: A transition to a cooler, showery pattern
is expected late in the week as a deep upper-level low develops over
the Gulf of Alaska and digs southeastward. Models are in good
agreement for a cold front, enhanced by an unseasonably juicy
moisture plume (PWATs >200% of normal), to move onshore Friday, then
spread into eastern Washington and north Idaho Friday night into
Saturday morning.
The best rainfall potential will be over the Cascades, far northeast
Washington, and north Idaho, where there is a >70% probability of at
least 0.10 inches of rain. Along the Canadian border in far
northeast Washington and north Idaho, there is a 35% chance of
exceeding one inch. For the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas,
probabilities are around 50% for at least 0.10 inches. Areas in the
lee of the Cascades, the lower Columbia Basin, and the Palouse have
a 20-40% chance of at least 0.10 inches. Some instability may
support embedded convection, which could produce localized heavier
amounts beneath stronger cores.
Uncertainty remains regarding how long the showery pattern will
persist, with some models keeping showers over the Inland Northwest
into Sunday depending on the exact location of shortwaves rotating
around the base of the offshore low. Temperatures will trend warmer
early next week as troughing lingers over the northeastern Pacific
and an upper-level ridge builds over the southwest. /vmt
&&
.AVIATION...
18Z TAFS: A cold front today will result in gusty westerly
winds. Airports from Wenatchee (EAT) to Moses Lake (MWH) and
across the Columbia Basin to the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Area (GEG-
SFF/COE) and down to Pullman/Lewiston (PUW/LWS) will see the
potential for wind gusts to between 20-30 kts late this morning
into the early evening. It is also a critical fire weather day
with active fires producing smoke that may reduce visibility,
and potential for new fires to emerge and grow rapidly. Winds
will decrease after 03Z this evening.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS:
Confidence is high for VFR conditions. A caveat will be from
Moses Lake (MWH) to Pullman (PUW) where smoke from the Bear
Gulch fire in Olympic NP may result in reduce visibility with
brief MVFR conditions. The fire may also become more active this
afternoon potentially spreading additional smoke across the
Inland Northwest for tonight into Thursday. /SVH
-----------------------
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:/weather.gov/otx/avndashboard
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
A Red Flag Warning is in effect from noon Wednesday
through 9 PM for much of the Inland Northwest due to the combination
of strong sustained winds and relative humidity values in the upper
teens to low 20s. While the onshore push of marine air looks to
marginally increase relative humidity values into the 20-25% range
for the lee of the Cascades, sustained winds 25-35 mph would
overcome the marginal relative humidity values if a new fire
ignites. The highest confidence for relative humidity values in the
teens and sustained winds over 20 mph will be for Fire Weather Zone
708 and the eastern portion of Fire Weather Zone 709 where the NBM
indicates a 70-90% chance of these conditions occurring.
Additionally, the Hot, Dry, Windy Index is painting these areas,
including Fire Weather Zones 706 and 707, with a 90+ percent chance
to exceed its 95th percentile. Any new fires that ignite tomorrow
will have a high potential to rapidly spread under these conditions.
Use caution with any ignition sources.
&&
.Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs...
Spokane 92 59 83 59 79 61 / 0 0 0 0 10 30
Coeur d'Alene 93 60 83 58 78 62 / 0 0 0 0 10 30
Pullman 89 55 79 53 78 57 / 0 0 0 0 10 20
Lewiston 99 65 89 63 87 67 / 0 0 0 0 10 10
Colville 92 51 84 51 74 51 / 0 0 0 0 30 60
Sandpoint 90 55 82 54 74 58 / 0 0 0 0 20 40
Kellogg 88 60 79 58 76 62 / 0 0 0 0 10 20
Moses Lake 94 59 86 61 83 61 / 0 0 0 0 10 30
Wenatchee 91 64 86 67 80 66 / 0 0 0 10 40 60
Omak 95 60 88 62 79 62 / 0 0 0 10 30 60
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Red Flag Warning from noon today to 9 PM PDT this evening for
Colville Reservation (Zone 702)-Eastern Columbia Basin -
Palouse -Spokane Area (Zone 708)-Foothills of Central
Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-Foothills of Northeast
Washington (Zone 701)-Lower Palouse -Snake River (Zone
709)-Methow Valley (Zone 704)-Okanogan Valley (Zone 703)-
Waterville Plateau (Zone 706)-Western Columbia Basin
(Zone 707).
ID...None.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Central Ferry Wildfire started on August 13 by a suspected human cause. It was located 26 miles West of Pullman, Washington. It burned 6597 acres of grassland. It was contained on August 14. Cost is estimated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, August 2025
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: 1292499.