Heat, Kern Deserts
- When
- August 4, 12:00 PM PST to August 6, 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kern Deserts forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Heat in California, August 4 to 6, 1998
Temperatures in the Kern County Deserts soared to greater than 110 degrees in several locations during the period of August 4th through 6th. The China Lake/Ridgecrest/Inyokern area climbed to 111 degrees F.
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 3
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
Temperatures in the Kern County Deserts soared to greater than 110 degrees in several locations during the period of August 4th through 6th. The China Lake/Ridgecrest/Inyokern area climbed to 111 degrees F. on August 4th and 112 on the 5th. California City 30 miles away reached 116 degs F. on the 5th. One heat-related fatality was reported for the 4th in the Inyokern/Ridgecrest area. One-heat related illness was reported at Millerton Lake where a ranger was treated in the course of a shore rescue on the 4th. Friant reported a high temperature of 111 deg F. this day. In West Fresno County, a firefighter suffered heat exhaustion while battling a structure fire in Mendota. In The Tulare County Mountains near Badger a hiker suffered a heat-related illness on the 4th.
Event by event
3 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat, Central Sjv
- When
- August 4, 12:00 PM PST to August 6, 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- Central Sjv forecast zone
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Heat, Tulare Mtns
- When
- August 4, 12:00 PM PST to August 6, 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare Mtns forecast zone
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat, Kern Deserts | 1998-08-04 | 47 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
What these are
- Heat
- Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flooding in Illinois, August 4, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, August 4, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Indiana, August 4 to 5, 1998
- Flash Flood in Wisconsin, August 4, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, August 4, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 4, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Florida, August 4, 1998
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, August 4, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Michigan, August 4, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Florida, August 4, 1998
- Flood and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, August 4, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, August 4, 1998
More
Every storm in California in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 1998
Sources
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: 5649113, 5649114, 5649115.