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.
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.
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 Los Angeles, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 5, 12:40 PM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 140 PM PDT WED JUN 5 2002 EXTREMELY HOT TEMPERATURES IN THE INLAND AREAS TODAY, ALMOST 110 IN A FEW SPOTS. MEANWHILE, JUST MILES AWAY ALONG THE COAST, TEMPERATURES HOVERED IN THE MID 60S, A STARTLING 45 DEGREE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT. ACARS SOUNDINGS OUT OF LAX PRETTY MUCH TELL THE WHOLE STORY. A 30 DEGREE TEMPERATURE INVERSION BASED AT AROUND 1000 FEET WITH A TOP OF AROUND 3000 FEET. WITH A WEAK EDDY CIRCULATION IN PLACE AND WEAK ONSHORE FLOW, MARINE LYR HAS BEEN STUBBORN TO CLEAR NEAR THE COAST. THE MAIN CHANGE FOR THURSDAY WILL BE A SLIGHT INCREASE IN ONSHORE FLOW WHICH SHOULD BRING A LITTLE COOLING TO THE VALLEYS. PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH TO PREVENT A FEW TRIPLE DIGIT READINGS AGAIN, ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER VALLEYS. MARINE LYR SHOULD ALSO START TO WRAP AROUND PT. CONCEPTION AND BRING RELIEF TO THE CENTRAL COAST. EXPECT ANOTHER TOUGH CLEARING DAY ALONG THE COAST. COOLER WEATHER SHOULD SET IN EVERYWHERE FRIDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS A TROF PASSES THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN. MARINE LYR WILL DEEPEN AND SPREAD FURTHER INLAND EACH DAY, PERHAPS REACHING THE LOWER VALLEYS. BY MONDAY, A WEAK RIDGE WILL REPLACE THE TROF BUT WERE NOT EXPECTING TEMPS TO WARM UP AS MUCH AS THEY DID THE LAST DAY OR TWO. IN FACT, THE RIDGE IS TEMPORARY AS A WEAK TROF IS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN TUESDAY. OVERALL, PROBABLY VERY LITTLE CHANGE MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. LAX 0000. WOFFORD .LOX...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY (SEE LAXCWFLOX).
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Copper Fire burned 23,407 acres in the Angeles National Forest. The fire, which was ignited by a grinding tool, destroyed 26 structures.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in California, June 2002
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: 5296683.