The Gobblers Fire started around 1336 PST on the 19th, burning in steep, inaccessible terrain west of Gobblers Knob, near Stockton Flats at the upper end of Lytle Creek. The Gobblers Fire began as a result of thunderstorms and lightning that started over twenty fires on the San Bernardino National Forest.
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 episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.
The Gobblers Fire started around 1336 PST on the 19th, burning in steep, inaccessible terrain west of Gobblers Knob, near Stockton Flats at the upper end of Lytle Creek. The Gobblers Fire began as a result of thunderstorms and lightning that started over twenty fires on the San Bernardino National Forest. The steep terrain and fuels involved created roll-out (burning debris rolling downhill), which helped spread the fire. Closures of the fire area and roads into the fire include Stockton Flats, Coldwater Canyon and Paiute Canyon yellow-post sites, Forest Road 3N06 above the shooting range, and Forest Road 3N33 closed at the 3N31 junction. No structures were threatened or destroyed and no injuries reported. The fire burned 413 acres before being fully contained on the 26th.
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 Aug 19, 1:15 PM PST, 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 215 PM PDT MON AUG 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE WEST OF POINT CONCEPTION WILL DRAW A LIMITED AMOUNT OF MID LEVEL MONSOONAL MOISTURE INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WITH WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS OF SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTIES THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE LIGHTNING STRIKES...LOCALLY STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. AS THE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WEAKENS AND MOVES INLAND THROUGH NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND STRONGER ONSHORE FLOW WILL FOLLOW FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...WEAKENING LATE IN THE WEEK. A GREATER INFLUX OF MONSOONAL MOISTURE IS POSSIBLE FOR NEXT WEEKEND THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES... REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY... LOW HAS BEEN TRACKING WEST SOUTHWEST IF ITS MOVING AT ALL. BAROCLINIC MODELS HAVE PICKED UP ON THIS MOTION SHOWING 3-5 KT MOVEMENT THROUGH TONIGHT. A SLOWER...WESTWARD MOVEMENT WOULD KEEP THE DOOR OPEN FOR ADDITIONAL MONSOON MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY OVER SW CALIFORNIA. UPPED POPS THROUGH THIS EVENING OVER MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS AND INCLUDED AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR TUESDAY. WHAT FEW ASOS REPORTS OVER MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS INDICATE CLOUDS BASES ARE BEGINNING TO LOWER...NEAR 7000 FEET MSL...DOWN FROM +10000 FT MSL THIS MORNING. JUST GOT A REPORT OF HEAVY RAIN/FLASH FLOODING ALONG HIGHWAY 18 IN APPLE VALLEY. TUESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY... GOING WITH THE GENERAL DRYING AND STABILIZING TREND UNDER HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BUILDING WESTWARD ALONG US/MEXICO BORDER. THIS TEMPORARILY CLOSES THE DOOR ON MONSOON MOISTURE...AND THE LOW DRIFTS FAR ENOUGH TO THE NORTH TO NOT BE A CONTROLLING FACTOR ON SW CALIFORNIA WEATHER. WILL STILL HAVE ENOUGH RESIDUAL MOISTURE FOR AFTERNOON CUMULUS OVER MOUNTAINS BUT NO THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST. HAVE THE MARINE LAYER FORECAST TO LOWER THROUGH THIS PERIOD WITH STRATUS CLOUDS MAINLY AFFECTING IMMEDIATE COAST/OVER WATER AND WESTERN VALLEYS/ELEVATIONS AT OR BELOW 500 FEET MSL. WARMING TREND OF ABOUT 4 DEGREES PER DAY. THURSDAY NIGHT INTO NEXT MONDAY...WENT WITH THE GFS MODEL SHOWING A MUCH WETTER MONSOON SURGE...RESULTING FROM TROPICAL WAVE/REMNANTS OF A TROPICAL CYCLONE ROUNDING THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE AND MOVING NORTH ALONG THE WEST COAST/SPINE OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. SHOWING THUNDERSTORMS DAY AND NIGHT...STARTING OUT AS DRY THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY BUT TURNING WET OVER THE WEEKEND. PRELIMINARY STORM TOTALS LOOK TO BE OVER TWO INCHES AND ALL AREAS...INCLUDING COASTS AND VALLEYS...COULD HAVE THUNDERSTORMS WITH SIGNIFICANT DOWNPOURS. STAY TUNED. && .AVIATION... 191956Z...COAST/VALLEYS...THROUGH 20/0100 UTC...UNRESTRICTED VIS WITH SCT-FEW CLDS AOA 9000 FT MSL...IN ADDITION TO SCT CLDS 1200-1500 FT MSL LINGERING WITHIN 5 SM OF THE COAST. 20/0100-0700 UTC...STRATUS MOVING BACK INLAND...EVENTUALLY REACHING 20 SM INLAND BY 20/1400 UTC...WITH BASES AND TOPS SIMILAR TO THIS MORNING. SLOW CLEARING AGAIN TUESDAY MORNING...WITH STRATUS CLEARING TO THE COAST DURING THE 20/1600-1900 UTC TIME-FRAME. MTNS/DESERTS...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MAINLY OVER THE RIVERSIDE AND SAN BERNARDINO MTNS AND HIGH DESERTS...BUT POSSIBLY IN THE LOWER DESERTS AND MOUNTAINS AS WELL...WITH BASES NEAR 9000 FT MSL AND TOPS TO 35000-40000 FT MSL. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...STRONG UPDRAFTS...2-5SM VIS IN HEAVY RAIN...AND LOCAL GUSTY SFC WINDS TO 40 KT. OTHERWISE...SCT-BKN CLDS AOA 9000 FT MSL AND UNRESTRICTED VIS THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. && .MARINE... ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDES OF 7 FEET OR GREATER WILL OCCUR DURING THE EVENINGS THROUGH TUESDAY...INCLUDING A PEAK OF 7.2 FEET THIS EVENING. SOME VULNERABLE LOW-LYING AREAS ALONG THE COAST MAY EXPERIENCE SOME MINOR TIDAL OVERFLOW DURING TIMES OF HIGHEST TIDE. && .HYDROLOGY... FLASH FLOOD THREAT STILL LOW TO MODERATE...GROUND BASED GPS PRECIPITABLE WATER SENSORS ACROSS SW CALIFORNIA HAVE AMOUNTS RANGING BETWEEN 1.4 AND 1.8 INCHES...BUT TRANSPORT WINDS ARE STILL SE +15 MPH SO DURATION OF STORMS OVER ANY ONE LOCATION IS GENERALLY NOT SUPPORTIVE OF FLASH FLOOD WATCH. HOWEVER WHERE TRAINING OF CELLS OR STORMS MOVING DOWN BASING AND ADDING TO RUNOFF...AS WITH THE THE CELL OVER APPLE VALLEY...THEN FLASH FLOODING WILL BE A CONCERN...ALSO OVER ANY OF THE RECENT BURN SCARS..BOTH THIS SUMMER AND FROM 2012 AND 2011. && .FIRE WEATHER... EXPECT A MIX OF WET AND DRY THUNDERSTORMS...GENERALLY ENDING AROUND 2000 PDT THIS EVENING...AND THEN FIRING BACK UP AROUND 1000 PDT TUESDAY. COULD BE SOME NOCTURNAL THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...BUT DO NOT EXPECT THE FREQUENT LIGHTNING OR COVERAGE THAT WE HAD THIS MORNING. TEMPORARY BREAK FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...BUT THERMAL LOW DEVELOPMENT OVER DESERTS WILL INCREASE AFTERNON AND EVENING WESTERLY WINDS...AWAKING ANY SLEEPERS AND/OR INCREASING FIRE ACTIVITY ACROSS ONGOING FIRES. ANOTHER MONSOON SURGE FOR THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT MONDAY...WILL PROBABLY START OUT AS DRY...BUT MORE LIKELY WET THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WEEKEND. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA...NONE. PZ...NONE. && PUBLIC/FIRE WEATHER...BALFOUR AVIATION/MARINE...HARRISON SHORT TERM WARNINGS...JJT/PALMER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 300 AM PDT MON AUG 19 2013 CAZ055-056-058-060>062-200100- SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS- 300 AM PDT MON AUG 19 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS OF EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE WEST OF POINT CONCEPTION WILL DRAW A LIMITED AMOUNT OF MID LEVEL MONSOONAL MOISTURE INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WITH WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS OF SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTIES THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE LIGHTNING STRIKES...LOCALLY STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE WHERE THUNDERSTORMS TRACK REPEATEDLY ACROSS THE SAME AREA...MAINLY FOR SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY DESERT AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...DRYING AND INCREASING ONSHORE FLOW WILL BRING LOCALLY GUSTY WEST WINDS TO THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS EACH LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE EVENING LOCALLY INCREASING THE WILDFIRE POTENTIAL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT SKYWARN WEATHER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED FOR SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS. 17
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 123 PM PDT MON AUG 19 2013 CAZ055-060-192115- SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- 123 PM PDT MON AUG 19 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY UNTIL 215 PM PDT... AT 112 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM ALONG HIGHWAY 18 BETWEEN LUCERNE VALLEY AND APPLE VALLEY...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH. THIS STORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE PEA SIZE HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN...AND STRONG WIND GUSTS. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. LAT...LON 3443 11727 3461 11714 3448 11692 3434 11704 TIME...MOT...LOC 2020Z 115DEG 8KT 3441 11706 HARRISON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2013
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: 473536.