2022 Washington wildfires explained

2022 Washington wildfires
Date:March 2022–December 2022
Fatalities:0
Is Season:yes
Year:2022
Season Name:Washington wildfires

The 2022 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2022. As of August 4, 2022, there have been four large wildfires that have burned 30800acres across the US state of Washington. This season started quieter than normal due to unusually colder weather that kept Eastern and Southeastern Washington burning index's largely below normal into July.[1] As of October 2022, a total of 140000acres of land in the state was burned – the fewest number of acres burned since 2012.[2]

Season narrative

Monsoon-driven thunderstorm activity started several wildfires in August.[3] [4] One of these located south of Lind in Adams County was ignited on the morning of August 4 and grew to more than 2000acres. It resulted in 10 homes burned and the evacuation of the town.[5]

Smoke from the Cedar Creek Fire in central Oregon moved into Southwest Washington then the Puget Sound region on September 10;[6] on that day Seattle recorded the worst air quality of any major city in the world.[7]

The Bolt Creek Fire, a human-caused[8] wildfire on the western slopes of the Cascades September 10–11,[6] caused the closure of U.S. Highway 2 for over a week in September, and the evacuation of Skykomish, Washington.[9] [10] By early October the fire was 36 percent contained and continuing to spread northwards into the Wild Sky Wilderness, causing poor air quality in western Washington.[11] [12] Highway 2 was closed again on October 5 and 9–10 to remove burned trees threatening road safety, and intermittent closures were expected to continue later in October.[13] [14] [15]

On the weekend of October 15–16, easterly winds over the Cascades brought dry, subsiding air and record temperatures to the Puget Sound area. The weather conditions contributed to the initiation and expansion of fires on the west slopes of the Cascades,[16] and the worst air quality of the season so far occurred in Seattle that weekend.[17] Fires included the Nakia Creek Fire in Southwest Washington and one on private timberland near Loch Katrine in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness 30 miles east of Seattle.[18] [19] Flames from the Loch Katrine fire could be seen from Seattle.[20]

On October 18 and 19, due to wildfire smoke, Seattle had the worst air quality of any major city in the world.[21]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1000abbr=offNaNabbr=off, produced significant structural damage or casualties, or were otherwise notable. It may not be complete or reflect the most recent information. Costs are in 2022 USD.[22]

NameCounty<--Burned in-->AcresStart dateContainment dateNotesRef
Goat RocksLewis6,196Caused by lightning; $19.4 million to suppress. Fire was 10% contained into late October 2022.[23] [24] [25]
White River14,442[26] Caused by lightning; $19.3 million to suppress[27]
Bolt CreekKing, Snohomish14,820Human-caused; $15 million to suppress[28]
Minnow RidgeChelan5,350Unknown cause; The National Centers for Environmental Information reported it caused $115 million (2023 USD) in property damage.[29] [30]
Nakia CreekClark1,918Human-caused; $6.8 million to suppress

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Washington's quiet wildfire season unlikely to last as heat wave approaches. . July 23, 2022 . July 26, 2022.
  2. Web site: Oxley . Dyer . Wildfire season gave Washington a break in 2022 . KUOW . October 8, 2022 . en . October 7, 2022.
  3. Web site: Ingalls . Mark . August 2, 2022 . Monsoon moisture moderated highs in the Columbia Basin on Sunday and Monday . September 7, 2022 . Ingalls Weather . en-US.
  4. Web site: O'Cain . Pete . Lightning causes dozen fires in Chelan County's national forest . September 7, 2022 . The Wenatchee World . August 12, 2022 . en.
  5. News: Washington town told to leave due to wildfire, homes lost. Haven. Delay. Christopher . Weber. August 4, 2022. Portland Press Herald.
  6. Web site: Cliff Mass. Cliff Mass weather blog. Major New Fire near Stevens Pass Sending Smoke into the North Sound. September 10, 2022. To the south, the large Cedar Creek Fire in the central Oregon Cascades has spread smoke northwest towards the Long Beach Peninsula. That smoke will move northward over central Puget Sound by dinnertime..
  7. News: Seattle's air quality is worst among major cities in the world. KING-TV. Seattle. September 10, 2022.
  8. News: Groover . Heidi . October 1, 2022 . Bolt Creek fire was 'human-caused'; smoke drifts over Seattle again . The Seattle Times . July 7, 2023.
  9. News: Mandatory evacuation ordered due to Bolt Creek Fire, US 2 closed for weekend between Index, Skykomish. Adel Toay. September 10, 2022. KING-TV. Seattle.
  10. News: Fire near Skykomish 79% contained, Highway 2 still closed . Associated Press. September 19, 2022.
  11. News: Improved air quality on the way to western Washington . October 4, 2022 . MyNorthwest.com . October 3, 2022 . en.
  12. News: 'Human-caused' Bolt Creek Fire is now 36% contained, nears 12,500 acres . king5.com . October 2, 2022.
  13. News: US 2 closing Wednesday to remove burned trees above highway in Bolt Creek Fire. October 5, 2022 . KCPQ. Tacoma.
  14. News: KHQ-TV. Spokane. US-2 near Stevens Pass closes again amid Bolt Creek Fire. Emily Frint. October 9, 2022.
  15. News: KING-TV. Why does US 2 keep closing? Road closures are expected to continue due to hazards near the highway as the fire burns between Index and Skykomish.. Kipp Robertson. October 11, 2022.
  16. Web site: Wildfires and temperatures surge. Cliff Mass weather blog. Cliff Mass. October 16, 2022.
  17. News: CNN. Seattle, a city known for rain, has received barely a drop since early June. Jennifer Gray. MSN. October 18, 2022. The six large fires burning just to the east of Seattle created the worst air quality of the season over the weekend, said [NWS meteorologist Maddie] Kristell..
  18. News: Crews battle Loch Katrine Fire in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. KIRO-TV. October 16, 2022.
  19. Web site: Seattle breaks heat record as wildfires and smoke spread . October 16, 2022 .
  20. Web site: WEST SEATTLE SMOKE: Not just from one fire. West Seattle Blog. October 16, 2022 .
  21. News: Seattle has worst air quality in world for second day in a row . KIRO-TV. October 20, 2022.
  22. Web site: November 4, 2022 . NWCC 2022 Large Incidents Year-to-Date (ICS-209) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230123021602/https://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/content/products/intelligence/Rpt_LgFiresYTD.pdf . January 23, 2023 . January 23, 2023 . Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
  23. Web site: Salahieh . Nouran . October 17, 2022 . Nakia Creek Fire explodes amid powerful winds, forcing thousands of evacuations in Washington state . January 18, 2023 . CNN . en.
  24. Web site: Goat Rocks Fire . July 31, 2023 . InciWeb.
  25. News: The Chronicle staff . Fire Resources Released From Goat Rocks Fire as 'Season-Ending' Rain Event Continues . July 15, 2024 . The Chronicle . October 27, 2022.
  26. News: Hansen . Chris . November 1, 2022 . Bolt Creek, White River Fires Not Out Yet . . July 7, 2023.
  27. Web site: Salahieh . Nouran . October 17, 2022 . Nakia Creek Fire explodes amid powerful winds, forcing thousands of evacuations in Washington state . January 18, 2023 . CNN . en.
  28. News: December 5, 2022 . Bolt Creek Fire declared economic injury disaster; applications open for low-interest disaster loans . . January 22, 2023.
  29. Web site: Storm Event Database - Minnow Ridge Fire . January 22, 2023 . National Centers for Environmental Information.
  30. News: September 28, 2022 . Washington fire update for Sept. 28 . . January 22, 2023.

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