California, 2001

Wildfire in California, August 18 to 25, 2001

August 18 to 25, 2001 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 wildfire, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$3.6 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 forecasters said that day

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 Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 18, 8:12 AM PST, 5 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 18, 8:12 AM PST, 5 hours 17 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
912 AM PDT SAT AUG 18 2001

SUBTROPICAL RIDGE REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH
ANOTHER DAY OF HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS ON TAP. EAST PACIFIC TROUGH
OPENING UP AS IT MOVES INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA WITH A NUMBER OF WEAK
SHORTWAVES MOVING THROUGH THE WESTERLY FLOW ACROSS NORCAL AND OREGON.
MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE OVERALL PICTURE WITH SOME TIMING
AND STRENGTH DIFFERENCES OF INDIVIDUAL SHORTWAVES.

CURRENT TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST AREA ARE PLUS OR MINUS A
DEGREE OR TWO FROM 24 HOURS AGO. TROUGH TO THE NORTH HAS INCREASED
ONSHORE GRADIENTS SLIGHTLY ALLOWING THE MARINE LAYER TO INCREASE TO
AROUND 1300 FEET PER OAK RAOB AND PROFILER DATA. MINIMAL CHANGE IN H5
HEIGHTS TODAY WITH MODELS SHOWING PERSISTENT TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT THE
AREA FROM H7 LEVEL AND BELOW. TEMPERATURES IN THE VALLEY MAY END UP A
DEGREE OR TWO LOWER THAN YESTERDAY WHICH CURRENT FORECAST REFLECTS.

NO MORNING UPDATES PLANNED.

.HNX...NONE.

LINDQUIST

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Mariposa

When
August 18, 1:29 PM PST to August 25, 4:00 PM PST
Where
Mariposa County, 2 mi N of Coulterville
Property damage
$3.6 million
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
37.582, -119.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Creek Fire was an arson fire that burned 11,500 acres. There were no fatalities but 11 injuries and 8 structures were lost (4 residences and 4 out-buildings). At one point at least 400 people were forced to evacuate due to the fire and it threatened at least 3000 structures.

What these are

Wildfire
A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2001

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: 5265867.