Wildfire — Southern Lewis and Clark, Montana

2021-07-10 to 2021-07-14 · Southern Lewis and Clark, Montana

Event narrative

The Rock Creek Fire was discovered near mile marker 232 on interstate 15 on July, 10th, and its cause is still unknown. The fire grew to 3,420 acres and resulted in at least a several hour closure of interstate 15 between Craig and Wolf Creek, along with a few other local road closures. The fire was 100 percent contained on July 14th.

Wider weather episode

Strong high pressure was the dominant weather pattern in July, which was occasionally suppressed by passing shortwaves and modest moisture for periods of scattered thunderstorms. Often times, the thunderstorm activity was followed by gusty winds and low relative humidity. Both lightning and human caused fires flourished in this environment.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 965203. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.