Wildfire, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- June 11, 12:00 AM PST to June 30, 12:00 AM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
Wildfire in California, June 11 to 30, 2008
June saw the fourth consecutive month of below-normal rainfall in the central California interior, as neither Fresno nor Bakersfield had any rain. While dry Junes are not uncommon (this was Bakersfield’s 72nd dry June, and Fresno’s 50th), the prospect of a dry June coming on the heels of the driest March-May on record for Bakersfield, and the 4th driest for Fresno, was a factor in Governor…
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.
June saw the fourth consecutive month of below-normal rainfall in the central California interior, as neither Fresno nor Bakersfield had any rain. While dry Junes are not uncommon (this was Bakersfield’s 72nd dry June, and Fresno’s 50th), the prospect of a dry June coming on the heels of the driest March-May on record for Bakersfield, and the 4th driest for Fresno, was a factor in Governor Schwarzenegger declaring a drought for the state on June 4th. In addition to the agricultural and hydrological impacts of the dry weather, the fire danger due to dried brush and other vegetation was high, and thunderstorms that moved through the state during the latter half of the month triggered numerous wildfires.
Bakersfield ended the 2007-2008 rain season (which runs from July 1st to June 30th) with a season total of only 2.38 inches, or 36.7 % of the normal of 6.49 inches. The past season was the 2nd driest on record, surpassed only by the 1933-34 season which saw only 2.21 inches. Fresno fared much better, due to an unseasonably wet December through February, but the rains ended abruptly in late February and the season ended with 8.40 inches. This was 74.8 % of Fresno’s normal of 11.23 inches.
Wildfire 41, CalFire, Merced-Madera-Mariposa Unit, ignited on June 11 due to unknown causes. The location was Highway 41 at Highway 145, approx. 15 miles east-northeast of Madera in Madera County. The size was 15,262 acres. No fatalities or lost structures. The cost to contain the fire was $6,500,000.
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 Jun 10, 8:28 PM PST, 3 hours 32 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 10, 8:28 PM PST, 3 hours 32 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 928 PM PDT TUE JUN 10 2008 .DISCUSSION... WINDS CONTINUE TO BLOW ACROSS THE WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY AND THROUGH THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT AREAS. IT IS ONLY A IN A FEW LOCATIONS THAT ARE USUALLY WINDY AND WE WILL CONSIDER CANCELING THE WIND ADV AT MIDNIGHT WITH ONLY THE USUAL LOCAL WINDY SPOTS REMAINING ABOVE ADV CRITERIA. THE MODELS DID NOT PREFORM VERY WITH THIS FEATURE AND THE WINDS WERE QUITE STRONGER THAN EXPECTED. AS THE LOW THAT BROUGHT SNOW TO SEVERAL PARTS OF THE PAC NW CONTINUES TO MOVE INLAND...THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT PUSHED THROUGH HERE AND LOWERED TEMPS OVER MOST AREAS BY AT LEAST FIVE DEGREES COOLER THAN YESTERDAY. SOME RESIDUAL COOLING IS EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY AS THE COOL POOL WILL QUICKLY MODIFY FROM TOP DOWN AS UPPER LEVEL HEIGHTS WILL INCREASE VERY RAPIDLY ON FRIDAY AND A HOT RIDGE FROM MEXICO WILL BUILD NORTH INTO THE AREA FOR THE WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES WILL AVERAGE 8 TO 12 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WITH MOST LOCATIONS BREAKING THE CENTURY MARK ON SATURDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH MONDAY. THE MODELS ARE STILL NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH THE NEXT CLOSED THAT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO HE PAC NW. THE GFS IS TRENDING FARTHER AND FARTHER NORTH EACH RUN AND THE UPPER RIDGE OVER NRN MEXICO IS FIRMLY ANCHORED AND IS NOT BUDGING UNTIL POSSIBLY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THERE IS SOME CONCERN FOR POSSIBLE RETURN MOISTURE FLOW AROUND THE RIDGE WHICH WOULD INC CHANCES FOR ISOL THUNDER ALONG THE CREST ON MONDAY. THE AXIS OF THE RIDGE IS NOT IN THE MOST FAVORABLE LOCATION FOR MONSOON FLOW AT THIS TIME. NOTHING HAS BEEN PUT IN THE FORECAST AND IS ONLY FOOD FOR THOUGHT AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION...A DRY UPPER TROUGH WILL CREATE BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS OVER MUCH OF THE REGION TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. GUSTY WINDS TO 40 KNOTS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER RIDGES AND THROUGH PASSES IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND BELOW THE PASSES IN THE KERN DESERT UNTIL 12Z WEDNESDAY. OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... NONE && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 3 AM PDT WEDNESDAY FOR CAZ095-098-099. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR CAZ089-091. && PUBLIC...JDB AVN/FW...DURFEE WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 10, 6:58 PM PST, 5 hours 2 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 758 PM PDT TUE JUN 10 2008 CAZ089-091-110600- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 758 PM PDT TUE JUN 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WEST SIDE OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST NON PRECIPITATION STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN HANFORD AT /WWUS76 KHNX/ OR /SFONPWHNX/ FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD CAZ095-098-099-110600- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY- SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 758 PM PDT TUE JUN 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM PDT WEDNESDAY. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST NON PRECIPITATION STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN HANFORD AT /WWUS76 KHNX/ OR /SFONPWHNX/ FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM PDT WEDNESDAY. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST NON PRECIPITATION STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN HANFORD AT /WWUS76 KHNX/ OR /SFONPWHNX/ FOR DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD CAZ090-092-110600- EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 758 PM PDT TUE JUN 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EAST SIDE OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. BARLOW WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Event by event
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Iowa, June 11 to 13, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, June 11, 2008
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Minnesota, June 11 to 12, 2008
- Tornadoes and Flood in Kansas, June 11, 2008
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Iowa, June 11, 2008
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Iowa, June 11 to 13, 2008
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Iowa, June 11, 2008
- Flooding in South Dakota, June 11 to 13, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, June 11 to 12, 2008
- High Wind in Minnesota, June 11, 2008
- Flash Flood and Hail in Nebraska, June 11, 2008
- High Wind in Minnesota, June 11, 2008
More
Every storm in California in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, June 2008
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: 121172.