Wildfire in California, August 10 to 16, 2007

Name: Wildfire in California, August 10 to 16, 2007
Start: 2007-08-10T16:34
End: 2007-08-16T17:00
Location: California

August 10 to 16, 2007 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Dry conditions combined with hot temperatures and gusty winds generated several wildfires across south-central California during August. The Tar fire in Fresno County was started by humans on the 10th, and was contained on the 16th.

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 happened

The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.

Dry conditions combined with hot temperatures and gusty winds generated several wildfires across south-central California during August.

The Tar fire in Fresno County was started by humans on the 10th, and was contained on the 16th. The size was 5644 acres, and was located 9 miles southwest of Avenal. No injuries were reported due to this fire.

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 10, 1:05 PM PST, 3 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 10, 1:05 PM PST, 3 hours 29 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
205 PM PDT FRI AUG 10 2007

.DISCUSSION...TEMPERATURES ARE CONTINUING THE UPWARD TREND
TODAY...CURRENTLY UP 1-4 DEGREES ABOVE 24 HRS AGO. THE DRY
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH LITTLE
CHANGE INDICATED IN THE PATTERN WITH A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE OFF
THE PACNW COAST AND A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN STATES. EXPECT ONLY SMALL CHANGES IN TEMPERATURES FROM
DAY TO DAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO MONDAY.

THE GFS EDGES THE RIDGE WESTWARD EARLY NEXT WEEK ALLOWING
TEMPERATURES TO CREEP UP A FEW MORE DEGREES. THE GFS ALSO
CONTINUES TO ADVERTISE THE APPROACH OF AN EASTERLY WAVE AND
MONSOONAL SURGE INTO ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FOR TUESDAY
AND WEDNESDAY. ALTHOUGH CLIMATOLOGY FOR MID AUGUST WOULD FAVOR
THIS INFLUX OF MONSOONAL MOISTURE...ALL OF THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS
MAINTAIN THE STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE PACNW COAST. THIS
WOULD KEEP MORE OF A SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
RATHER THAN A SOUTHEAST FLOW WHICH WOULD BE PREFERRED FOR A GOOD
PUSH OF MOISTURE. WILL MAINTAIN A DRY FORECAST FOR NOW THROUGH
ALL OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA INTERIOR THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY. FOR SPECIFIC
DETAILS...PLEASE REFER TO THE TAFS FOR KMCE...KFAT AND KBFL...AND
TWEB ROUTES 421 AND 423.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

BEAN/JDB

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, E Central S.J. Valley

When: August 10, 4:34 PM PST to August 16, 5:00 PM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service

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

Every storm in California in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in California, August 2007

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: 59194.