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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 16, 2:32 PM PST, 5 hours 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OXNARD 232 PM PST THU DEC 16 2004 .SYNOPSIS...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER UTAH AND NEVADA COMBINED WITH NORTHEAST WINDS ALOFT WILL CAUSE STRONG OFFSHORE WINDS... MAINLY THROUGH AND BELOW MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES INTO FRIDAY. WEAKER OFFSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND... WITH WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS PREVAILING. A GRADUAL COOLING TREND WILL TAKE PLACE DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD...BUT NO PRECIPIATION IS EXPECTED. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES. .SHORT TERM...STRONG OFFSHORE WINDS CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THE HIGH WIND GUST REPORTS TODAY INCLUDED ONTARIO AT 50 MPH...RIALTO AT 65 MPH...FREMONT CANYON AT 78 MPH... AND CAMPO AT 52 MPH. OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN CONTINUES TO LOOK FAVORABLE FOR STRONG OFFSHORE WINDS TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. LATEST MSAS ANALYSIS SHOWING A STRONG 1040 MB SURFACE HIGH CENTERED OVER NEVADA...WITH LITTLE CHANGE EXPECTED INTO FRIDAY. IN ADDITION TO THE STRONG NORTHEAST SURFACE GRADIENT...THERE IS STRONG NORTHEAST FLOW UP TO 50 KNOTS AT 850 MB...ALONG WITH SOME COLD AIR ADVECTION ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. ISENTROPIC CROSS SECTIONS CONTINUE TO SHOW GOOD DOWNWARD TRANSPORT OF WIND THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...ALONG WITH A LARGE AREA OF STRONG SUBSIDENCE FROM 850 MB TO NEAR THE SURFACE. LATER TONIGHT AND FRIDAY...THE LOW LEVEL FLOW BECOMES MORE EASTERLY AND INCREASES ACROSS RIVERSIDE...ORANGE...AND SAN DIEGO COUNTIES. THE EASTERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL FAVOR THE BANNING PASS AREA...SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS...AS WELL AS THE MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY. CURRENT HIGH WIND WARNINGS LOOK GOOD FOR ALL MOUNTAIN AREAS AND THE INLAND EMPIRE. THE HIGHEST WIND GUSTS WILL MOST LIKELY OCCUR ACROSS THE INLAND EMPIRE AND SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS THROUGH TONIGHT...WHERE WIND GUSTS OF 70 TO 80 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. GUSTY OFFSHORE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS THE FAVORED PASSES AND CANYONS OF THE COASTAL AREAS...AND EXTEND INTO THE COASTAL WATERS. LOCAL WIND GUSTS OVER 35 KNOTS CAN BE EXPECTED OFF THE COAST OF ORANGE COUNTY...WHERE WINDS WILL BE FOCUSED BELOW PASSES AND CANYONS. THE INFLUX OF COLD AIR ADVECTION HAS COOLED SOME OF THE INTERIOR VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS A FEW DEGREES TODAY...WITH LITTLE CHANGE EXPECTED ON FRIDAY. THE WARMEST AREAS ON FRIDAY WILL ONCE AGAIN BE NEAR THE COAST...WHERE TEMPERATURES COULD ONCE AGAIN APPROACH 80 DEGREES. AS OFFSHORE WINDS DIMINISH ON SATURDAY...THE BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO WARM A FEW DEGREES. AS A RESULT... SATURDAY APPEARS TO BE THE WARMEST DAY ACROSS THE CWA...WHERE SEVERAL COASTAL AND VALLEY AREAS COULD CLIMB ABOVE 80 DEGREES. IN ADDITION... HUMIDITY VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO BOTTOM OUT INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CWA ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. NO FIRE WEATHER WATCHES HAVE BEEN POSTED AT THIS TIME SINCE FUEL MOISTURES REMAIN ABOVE CRITICAL THRESHOLDS...BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION CLOSELY. BREEZY OFFSHORE CONDITIONS ARE ALSO EXPECTED ON SUNDAY...WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO CONTINUE. .LONG TERM...THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE REGION WILL BEGIN TO WEAKEN EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH WEAKENING OFFSHORE FLOW CONDITIONS. AS A RESULT...A GRADUAL COOLING TREND WILL OCCUR ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY... WITH SOME RECOVERY IN HUMIDITY VALUES. THE LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL TREND ONSHORE WEDNESAY INTO THURSDAY...AS THE LONG RANGE MODELS INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR A BROAD UPPER TROUGH TO DEVELOP IN THE GREAT BASIN. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNINGS FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND INLAND EMPIRE AND WIND ADVISORIES FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS...SAN DIEGO INLAND VALLEY AND COACHELLA VALLEY UNTIL 200 PM FRIDAY...SEE LAXNPWSGX. HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ORANGE AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY BEACHES...SEE LAXCWFSGX. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR OUTWR WATERS...SEE LAXCWFSGX. && GOMBERG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 800 PM PST THU DEC 16 2004 CAZ042-043-048-050-055-056-057-058-061-171400- ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS- SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- COACHELLA VALLEY- 800 PM PST THU DEC 16 2004 .DAY ONE... STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW WILL CAUSE LOCAL STRONG GUSTY WINDS. AS A RESULT...HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND INLAND EMPIRE AND WIND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS...SAN DIEGO INLAND VALLEYS AND COACHELLA VALLEY TONIGHT UNTIL 200 PM FRIDAY. LOCAL NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS 20 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO OVER 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED...MAINLY THROUGH AND BELOW CANYONS AND PASSES. PEOPLE SHOULD WATCH FOR BROKEN TREE LIMBS...DOWNED TREES AND DOWNED POWER LINES. THERE COULD ALSO BE TRAFFIC SIGNAL OUTAGES AND LOCAL VISIBILITY REDUCED IN BLOWING DUST AND SAND. SEE LAXNPWSGX FOR DETAILS. LARGE WEST NORTHWEST SWELL WILL CAUSE LARGE SURF AND STRONG RIP CURRENTS AND A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM SATURDAY. SEE LAXCFWSGX FOR DETAILS. THERE IS ALSO A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN THE OUTER WATERS THROUGH FRIDAY. SEE LAXCWFSGX FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THE STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING OFFSHORE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AND BELOW MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES INTO FRIDAY...DECREASING FRIDAY AFTERNOON. WEAKER OFFSHORE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN THE OUTER WATERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGH SURF ADVISORY AND STRONG RIP CURRENTS WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY. ATKIN
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
711 PM PST THU DEC 16 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0801 AM NON-TSTM WND GST ONTARIO 34.05N 117.61W
12/16/2004 53 MPH SAN BERNARDINO CA OFFICIAL NWS OBS
0830 AM NON-TSTM WND GST FREMONT CANYON 33.79N 117.72W
12/16/2004 78 MPH ORANGE CA MESONET
1010 AM NON-TSTM WND GST DEVORE 34.22N 117.40W
12/16/2004 54 MPH SAN BERNARDINO CA MESONET
1110 AM NON-TSTM WND GST BEAUMONT 33.93N 116.98W
12/16/2004 52 MPH RIVERSIDE CA MESONET
0250 PM NON-TSTM WND GST ALPINE 32.84N 116.76W
12/16/2004 50 MPH SAN DIEGO CA MESONET
0250 PM NON-TSTM WND GST CAMPO 32.61N 116.47W
12/16/2004 60 MPH SAN DIEGO CA OFFICIAL NWS OBS
&&
BNDThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds knocked down some power lines and sparked a 3 acre fire in Julian.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2004
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: 5431428.