The Falls Fire started around 0900 PST on the 5th, off of the Ortega Highway near Decker Canyon, in Riverside. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
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 Falls Fire started around 0900 PST on the 5th, off of the Ortega Highway near Decker Canyon, in Riverside. The cause of the fire is still unknown. Due to the fire burning on the Trabuco Ranger District, the San Mateo Wilderness, El Cariso Campground, Blue Jay Campground, the Firefighter Memorial Picnic Area and Wildomar OHV area were closed. Road closures included the Ortega Hwy 74 from Lake Elsinore west to San Antonio Parkway. Intermittent road openings were allowed to residents only. Evacuations were ordered for Lakeland Village, Rancho Capistrano and Decker Canyon residents. Evacuation perimeter is between Grand/Ortega and Grand/Corydon. No structures were threatened and no injuries. Minor guardrail damage occurred as a result of a rock fall along the Ortega Highway. The fire burned 1416 acres before being fully contained around 1700 PST on the 9th.
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 5, 8:00 AM PST, 1 hour earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 900 AM PDT MON AUG 5 2013 .SYNOPSIS... FAIR AND COOLER THAN SEASONAL WEATHER IS EXPECTED THIS WEEK AS A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH CONTINUES OVER THE WEST COAST. THE MARINE LAYER AND ONSHORE FLOW WILL BRING LOW CLOUDS AND FOG FROM THE COAST INLAND TO SOME OF THE VALLEYS EACH NIGHT AND MORNING. THE TROUGH BECOMES DEEPER OVER CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR COOLER WEATHER AND MORE EXTENSIVE LOW CLOUDS...THEN IT BACKS OFF FOR SLIGHTLY WARMER WEATHER THIS WEEKEND. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES... COASTAL PEOPLE WOKE UP TO THE TYPICAL GREY WHILE THOSE IN THE INTERIOR SAW A SUNRISE ACCENTED BY MID AND HIGH CLOUDS. THE MARINE LAYER WAS ABOUT 1600 FEET DEEP WHICH IS SHALLOWER THAN IT WAS YESTERDAY AT THIS TIME. SOUTHERLY MONSOON FLOW NUDGES INTO SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA TODAY AND TUESDAY AND WILL CONTINUE TO BRING SOME HIGHER CLOUDS INTO OUR REGION...BUT OUR ATMOSPHERE IS NOT MOIST NOR UNSTABLE ENOUGH TO FORECAST MONSOON TYPE SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS. OUR PERSISTENT AND COOLISH WEATHER WILL CONTINUE AS A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH REMAINS QUITE STATIONARY ALONG THE WEST COAST. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP COASTAL BASIN WEATHER DOMINATED BY THE MARINE LAYER AND WILL KEEP MONSOON MOISTURE TO THE EAST. THIS WEST COAST TROUGH DEEPENS AND AMPLIFIES WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THAT WILL MEAN EVEN COOLER WEATHER AND MORE EXTENSIVE LOW CLOUDS GETTING INTO THE VALLEYS FOR A FEW NIGHTS...EVEN PARTS OF THE INLAND EMPIRE. IT WILL ALSO BOOST WINDS THROUGH MOUNTAIN GAPS EACH EVENING. THE TROUGH BACKS OFF OVER THE WEEKEND AS THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE NOW OVER TEXAS EXPANDS WESTARD A LITTLE. THIS WILL BRING SLIGHTLY WARMER WEATHER AND LESS EXTENSIVE LOW CLOUDS NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION... 051600Z...COAST/VALLEYS...AREAS OF STRATUS...WITH BASES 800-1300 FT MSL...WILL CLEAR TO NEAR THE COAST BY 18-19Z...WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES THIS AFTERNOON. SOME LINGERING VIS OF 3-5 MILES WILL OCCUR THROUGH 18Z. STRATUS WILL SPREAD INLAND FROM THE COAST BETWEEN 01Z AND 04Z THIS EVENING AND EVENTUALLY SPREAD 25-35 MI INLAND. SIMILAR CLEARING IS EXPECTED TUESDAY MORNING. MTNS/DESERTS...MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WITH UNRESTRICTED VIS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUE. LOCAL WESTERLY SFC WIND GUSTS TO 35 KNOTS WILL OCCUR MAINLY 02Z THROUGH 08Z TONIGHT VCNTY SAN GORGONIO PASS. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC...MM AVIATION...MAXWELL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 400 PM PDT SUN AUG 4 2013 CAZ042-043-048-050-057-PZZ750-775-060200- ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- COASTAL WATERS FROM SAN MATEO POINT TO THE MEXICAN BORDER AND OUT 30 NM- WATERS FROM SAN MATEO POINT TO THE MEXICAN BORDER EXTENDING 30 TO 60 NM OUT INCLUDING SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND- 400 PM PDT SUN AUG 4 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN WEATHER ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED. CAZ055-056-058-060>062-060200- SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS- 400 PM PDT SUN AUG 4 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND VERY DRY FUELS WILL ELEVATE THE WILDFIRE DANGER...PARTICULARLY ON AND BELOW THE DESERT SLOPES EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN WEATHER ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED. JAD
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: 473519.