California, 2003

Wildfire in California, September 1 to 30, 2003

September 1 to 30, 2003 · 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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 31, 7:20 PM PST, 4 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 7:20 PM PST, 4 hours 40 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
820 PM PDT SUN AUG 31 2003

MINOR UPDATES THIS EVENING TO REMOVE THUNDERSTORM WORDING FROM
FOOTHILL AND SIERRA ZONES AS THE CONVECTION APPEARS TO BE OVER FOR
THE NIGHT. UPPER LEVEL LOW CONTINUES TO CHUG EVER SO SLOWLY EAST IN
THE VICINITY OF LAKE TAHOE THIS EVENING AND WITH SUNDOWN THE
THUNDERSTORMS EARLIER ALONG THE CREST HAVE DISSIPATED OR MOVED EAST
INTO NEVADA. SOME CLOUDS CONTINUE ALONG THE CREST AND WITH THE
CENTER OF THE LOW ONLY SLOWLY MOVING EAST...THE THREAT OF
ADDITIONAL THUNDER REMAINS OVER THE HIGH COUNTRY....BUT ONLY AT A
SLIGHT CHANCE LEVEL. OVER THE REST OF THE AREA SKIES REMAIN
GENERALLY CLEAR. THE SPEED OF EXIT OF THE NORCAL LOW WILL BE THE
DRIVING FACTOR IN THE WEATHER OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SIERRA
FOR THE NEXT 6-18 HOURS. THE MORNING MODELS ALL WERE IN PRETTY GOOD
AGREEMENT IN WEAKENING THE LOW OVERNIGHT AND ACTUALLY EJECTING A
TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN...WHILE LEAVING A
WEAK VORTICITY CENTER OVER THE BAY AREA. THE 00Z MESO ETA AGREES
WITH THIS PROJECTION. BY LABOR DAY AFTERNOON GOOD CONSENSUS AMONG
MODEL SOLUTIONS IN FINALLY EJECTING THE REMAINS OF THE VORTICITY
CENTER AND BUILDING A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE CENTER WESTWARD FROM
ARIZONA. THIS WILL UNDOUBTEDLY TURN THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL WINDS
TO THE SOUTHEAST. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS QUITE A GOOD FETCH OF
MOISTURE OVER NORTHERN MEXICO AND THIS SHOULD ADVECT INTO SOUTHERN
AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. EXPECT TUESDAY TO
HAVE PROBABLY THE BETTER THREAT FOR CONVECTION AS MOISTURE WILL BE
MUCH MORE PLENTIFUL. CURRENT FORECAST HAS THE TREND OF INCREASING
CHANCES AND AERIAL COVERAGE OF THUNDER FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY
HANDLED WELL.
.HNX...NONE.

DUDLEY
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 31, 4:45 AM PST, 19 hours 15 minutes before
CAZ089>099-011230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
545 AM PDT SUN AUG 31 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY.

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS FOR
THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...MAINLY NORTH OF KINGS CANYON.
THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.

DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY
THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS...AND THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS. THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN
GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.

A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER OVER HIGHER ELEVATIONS
OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA ON THURSDAY...OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS
WEATHER IS EXPECTED THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

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
September 1, 12:00 AM PST to September 30, 11:59 PM PST
Where
Mariposa County, 25 mi N of Yosemite Vlg
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
37.582, -119.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Kibbee Complex fire, having started July 20th by lightning, burned through the month of September as a resource burn. By the end of the month it had reached 9,230 acres and had an accumulated cost of $2M.

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 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in California, September 2003

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: 5337826.