Wildfire, Coachella Valley
- When
- March 15, 3:30 PM PST to 10:45 PM PST
- Where
- Coachella Valley forecast zone
- Property damage
- $35,000
- Reported by
- Fire Department/Rescue
- Coordinates
- 33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in California, March 15, 2014
The Pierce Fire began around 1537 PST on the 15th near the intersection of Avenue 66 and Pierce Street in Thermal. Initially reported at 10 acres, the fire burned at a moderate rate of spread through medium to heavy brush, increasing rapidly to 200 acres over just a few hours.
Where it happened
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $35,000
- 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 SGX wrote it up.
The Pierce Fire began around 1537 PST on the 15th near the intersection of Avenue 66 and Pierce Street in Thermal. Initially reported at 10 acres, the fire burned at a moderate rate of spread through medium to heavy brush, increasing rapidly to 200 acres over just a few hours. Road closures were in effect along north and southbound Highway 86 between Avenue 86 and Avenue 80, as well as Avenue 66 from Avenue 86 to Pierce Street. The fire burned a total of 350 acres before being fully contained at 2234 PST on the 15th. The fire downed power lines in the area and destroyed one outbuilding. No injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported.
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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 15, 1:00 PM PST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 15, 1:00 PM PST, 2 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
200 PM PDT SAT MAR 15 2014
.SYNOPSIS...
SUNNY AND WARM WITH GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS CONTINUING THIS AFTERNOON
NEAR THE COASTAL FOOTHILLS OF THE SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND THE SAN
BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS. WINDS WILL WEAKEN LATE THIS AFTERNOON.
SUNNY AND WARM AGAIN ON SUNDAY WITH LOCALLY GUSTY OFFSHORE WINDS.
ONSHORE FLOW WILL RETURN FOR LATE MONDAY WITH COOLING...A RETURN OF
COASTAL LOW CLOUDS AND FOG...AND GUSTY WEST WINDS FOR THE MOUNTAINS
AND DESERTS. FOR THE REST OF NEXT WEEK...PERIODS OF WEAKER ONSHORE
AND OFFSHORE FLOW WILL ALTERNATE WITH TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY ABOVE
SEASONAL AVERAGES.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...
NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY THIS AFTERNOON...AS RECENT ACARS SOUNDINGS
SHOW THE MARINE LAYER NOW LESS THAN 500 FT DEEP IN RESPONSE TO THE
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE WEST COAST. SURFACE HIGH
PRESSURE OVER THE GREAT BASIN AND NE WINDS ALOFT CONTINUE TO PRODUCE
OFFSHORE FLOW WITH LOCALLY GUSTY NE WINDS...AND A FEW LOCATIONS HAVE
REPORTED WIND GUSTS GREATER THAN 45 MPH. SFC PRESSURE GRADIENTS
REMAIN OFFSHORE TO THE NORTH WITH -5.4 MB SAN-TPH...BUT SFC
GRADIENTS AND WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN BY LATE AFTERNOON. TEMPS
WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH SUN AND THE MARINE LAYER BECOME
SHALLOWER AS THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS. LITTLE OR NO MARINE LAYER LOW
CLOUDS AND FOG IS EXPECTED TONIGHT...AND TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH
THE UPPER 80S TO AROUND 90 DEGREES ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE INLAND
VALLEYS ON SUN.
FOR LATE MONDAY AND EARLY TUESDAY...A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MOVING
THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND CENTRAL
ROCKIES WILL WEAKEN THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AND PUSH THE SFC HIGH TO
THE SE...OUT OF THE GREAT BASIN. THIS WILL BRING INCREASING ONSHORE
FLOW WITH COOLER CONDITIONS...A RETURN OF COASTAL LOW CLOUDS AND
FOG...AND GUSTY WEST WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. WEST TO NW
WINDS OF 20-30 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ISOLATED GUSTS NEAR 45 MPH
IN WIND-PRONE LOCATIONS. LOW CLOUDS AND FOG COULD SPREAD INLAND TO
THE COASTAL SLOPES LATE MONDAY NIGHT.
FOR THE REST OF NEXT WEEK...SHORTWAVES MOVING INLAND TO THE NORTH IN
WEST NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL ALTERNATE WEAKER ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE
FLOW WITH DAYTIME TEMPS SLIGHTLY ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES...LOCALLY
GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS ON THE COASTAL FOOTHILLS AT TIMES...AND PATCHY
COASTAL LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DURING THE NIGHTS AND MORNINGS.
&&
.AVIATION...
152000Z...MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WITH UNRESTRICTED VIS THROUGH SUNDAY.
MTNS/DESERTS...AREAS OF N-NE WINDS GUSTING 25-35 KT ALONG THE MTS
AND COASTAL FOOTHILLS THROUGH 16/00Z. LLWS AND MOD UDDFS POSSIBLE
OVER AND S/SW OF THE MTS DUE TO THESE WINDS...INCLUDING VCNTY KONT
AND KSNA. OFFSHORE WINDS WILL WEAKEN THIS AFTERNOON.
&&
.MARINE...
ANOTHER LONG PERIOD NW SWELL WILL ARRIVE IN THE COASTAL WATERS SUN
NIGHT AND PEAK ON MON AT 7-8 FT WITH A PERIOD OF 17 SECONDS. THIS
WILL RESULT IN ELEVATED SURF AT BEACHES SOUTH OF DEL MAR IN SAN
DIEGO COUNTY...AND NORTH OF HUNTINGTON BEACH IN ORANGE COUNTY. LOCAL
SETS OF 7 FEET OR MORE ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS MONDAY...BECOMING
MORE INTERMITTENT ON TUE. LARGE TIDAL SWINGS AND ELEVATED SURF WILL
CREATE STRONG RIP CURRENTS AS WELL. SURF AND SWELL WILL SUBSIDE
WED/THU. SEE CFWSGX FOR DETAILS ON THE BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN
EFFECT THROUGH MON EVENING.
A REINFORCING...STEEP WESTERLY SWELL UP TO 8 FEET WILL ARRIVE IN THE
COASTAL WATERS MON NIGHT CONTINUING INTO TUE MORNING. COMBINED SEAS
OF AROUND TEN FEET ARE POSSIBLE...RESULTING IN VERY ROUGH SEAS AND
POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS.
&&
.SKYWARN...
SKYWARN ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED. HOWEVER WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT FROM 10 AM PDT THIS MORNING THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING FOR THE BEACHES IN THE ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL
AREAS...SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS.
WIND ADVISORY FROM UNTIL 5 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE ORANGE
COUNTY COASTAL AREAS...SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS...SAN
BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND
EMPIRE...SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS.
PZ...NONE.
&&
PUBLIC...PG
AVIATION/MARINE...TSIn the hours before
Local storm report, Mar 15, 9:55 AM PST, 5 hours 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
1055 AM PDT SAT MAR 15 2014
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1000 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 8 N PORTOLA HILLS 33.80N 117.62W
03/15/2014 M49 MPH ORANGE CA MESONET
&&
NWS SAN DIEGO CA
IRIS SYSTEMLocal storm report, Mar 15, 9:56 AM PST, 5 hours 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
1056 AM PDT SAT MAR 15 2014
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1030 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 8 N PORTOLA HILLS 33.80N 117.62W
03/15/2014 M65 MPH ORANGE CA PUBLIC
&&
NWS SAN DIEGO CA
IRIS SYSTEMLocal storm report, Mar 15, 9:59 AM PST, 5 hours 31 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
1059 AM PDT SAT MAR 15 2014
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0851 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 ENE TUSTIN FOOTHILLS 33.81N 117.71W
03/15/2014 M54 MPH ORANGE CA MESONET
&&
NWS SAN DIEGO CA
IRIS SYSTEMThe radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
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
- Wildfire in Nebraska, March 15, 2014
- Dust Storm in Texas, March 15, 2014
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, March 15, 2014
- High Wind in Texas, March 15, 2014
- High Wind in New Mexico, March 15, 2014
- Dust Storm and High Wind in Arizona, March 15, 2014
- Hail in Texas, March 15 to 16, 2014
- High Wind in Oklahoma, March 15, 2014
- High Wind in New Mexico, March 15 to 16, 2014
- High Wind in Texas, March 15 to 16, 2014
- Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, March 15, 2014
- Dust Storm in Oklahoma, March 15, 2014
More
Every storm in California in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 2014
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: 509773.