California, 2002Wildfire in California, July 21 to 31, 2002
July 21 to 31, 2002 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone
1 wildfire, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $14 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 Jul 21, 7:55 AM PST, 5 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 7:55 AM PST, 5 hours 20 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
855 AM PDT SUN JUL 21 2002
SATELLITE LOOPS SHOW THE UPPER-LEVEL LOW NEAR 34N/124W...A BIT
SOUTHEAST OF WHERE EITHER THE 12Z ETA OR NGM INITIALIZED IT. THE LOW
CONTINUES TO DRAW A SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE FETCH NORTHWARD OVER
CALIFORNIA IN THE FORM OF SOME DENSE CIRRUS. THE LATEST SATELLITE
LOOPS SHOW THE OTHER PACIFIC LOW...NEAR 30N/140W...SHOWING SIGNS OF
WEAKENING. AS A RESULT...THE NEAR-SHORE LOW LIKELY WILL MAINTAIN THE
SUBTROPICAL CONNECTION.
THE MARINE LAYER AT FORT ORD HAD DEEPENED TO 2800 FEET AT 1334Z THIS
MORNING...AN INCREASE OF 700 FEET IN THE PAST 4 HOURS. THIS DEEPENING
IS IN RESPONSE TO THE APPROACH OF THE CLOSED LOW. HOWEVER...THE WINDS
AT TRAVIS AFB ARE WEST...LESS FAVORABLE FOR A SIGNIFICANT MARINE PUSH
THROUGH THE DELTA. TRAVIS DID HAVE MORE FAVORABLE SOUTHWEST WINDS
EARLIER LAST EVENING...AND SOME MARINE AIR DID INTRUDE INTO THE
VALLEY OVERNIGHT BEFORE THE WINDS SHIFTED. 15Z TEMPERATURES AROUND
THE CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY ARE RUNNING 5-7 DEGREES BELOW 24
HOURS PREVIOUS...BUT AS THE MARINE AIR BURNS OFF...SHOULD SEE SOME
RECOVERY THIS AFTERNOON.
THE FORECAST FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS IS DEPENDENT ON THE
BEHAVIOR OF THE CLOSED LOW. THE ETA/NGM TRY TO TURN THE LOW NORTH
TODAY...WITH THE ETA TURNING THE PATCH NORTHWEST FROM THE NGM TRACK
AFTER 30 HOURS. YET SATELLITE LOOPS SHOW THE LOW PUSHING NORTHEAST
TOWARD THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST...AND IF IT DOES TURN NORTH...IT
WOULD BE CLOSER TO SHORE AND IN BETTER AGREEMENT WITH PREVIOUS AVN
RUNS. THE AVN HAS BEEN THE COOLEST OF THE SHORT-RANGE...SUPPORTING A
MARINE AIR PUSH INLAND MONDAY AND TUESDAY.
LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE ETA THIS MORNING ALSO IMPACTS THE MOUNTAIN
FORECAST. DESPITE UNFAVORABLE CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS FORECAST BY THE
12Z MESO-ETA SATURDAY MORNING...A COUPLE OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
DID DEVELOP OVER THE HIGH SIERRA NORTH OF KINGS CANYON AND OVER
YOSEMITE. THE LATEST MESO-ETA CONTINUES TO FORECAST A STABLE
ENVIRONMENT...BUT WITH THE PATTERN SOUTHEAST OF THE MESO-ETA PLOT...
THE INSTABILITY FORECAST FOR THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA COULD AGAIN
DROP INTO THE YOSEMITE-KINGS CANYON PORTION OF THE SIERRA NEVADA
CREST. WILL UPDATE THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA ZONE FOR ISOLATED
AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS AT THE CREST.
POPS FAT BFL YNP 000. SANGER
.HNX...NONE.
Wildfire, Tulare
- When
- July 21, 1:15 PM PST to July 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare County, 4 mi SSE of Johnsondale
- Property damage
- $14 million
- Reported by
- PARK/FOREST SERVICE
- Coordinates
- 36.220, -118.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The McNally Fire was started by an illegal campfire. It charred 90,500 acres through July 31st and ultimately charred 150,696 acres. The fire was located in Tulare County near the town of Johnsondale and is the largest fire in Sequoia Park history. This fire threatened some of the park's historic Giant Sequoia Groves although they were successfully protected. There were 14 structures lost. At one time over 2,000 firefighters plus air support were being used to fight the fire. Cost to contain the fire was in excess of $14M by 7/31/02. The final cost assigned to this fire was $45.7M at containment on August 29th.
- 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.
- Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, July 21, 20021 death · 1 event
- Wildfire in California, July 21 to 24, 2002$3.8 million · 1 event
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, July 21, 2002$656,000 · 70 kt wind · 6 events
- Flash Flood and Hail in Nebraska, July 21, 20022 injured · $100,000 · 70 kt wind · 5 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, July 21, 2002$56,000 · 1.75 in hail · 24 events
- Flood and Hail in Georgia, July 21, 2002$54,000 · 1 in hail · 24 events
- Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 21, 2002$91,000 · 87 kt wind · 11 events
- Damaging Winds in South Dakota, July 21, 2002$100,000 · 69 kt wind · 2 events
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, July 21, 2002$58,000 · 61 kt wind · 2 events
- Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 21, 2002$50,000 · 78 kt wind · 4 events
- Damaging Winds in Iowa, July 21, 2002$50,000 · 52 kt wind · 2 events
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, July 21, 2002$50,000 · 1 event
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: 5311382.