California, 2016

Wildfire in California, June 19 to 30, 2016

June 19 to 30, 2016 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Border Fire started June 19th, in the middle of a intense heatwave. The fire burned several thousand acres and multiple structures before it was contained.

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

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The toll

Deaths
2
Injuries
0
Property damage
$4.0 million
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 Border Fire started June 19th, in the middle of a intense heatwave. The fire burned several thousand acres and multiple structures before it was contained.

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 Jun 19, 8:21 AM PST, 3 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 19, 8:21 AM PST, 3 hours 39 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service San Diego CA
921 AM PDT SUN JUN 19 2016

.SYNOPSIS...
A high pressure ridge will strengthen through Monday, producing
very hot weather today through Tuesday. High temperatures will be
well above normal, likely breaking several records, with Monday
being the hottest day. Some mid and upper level moisture will
produce numerous high clouds Tuesday. This, in addition to a coastal
eddy, could bring some cooling Tuesday along with a return of
night and morning coastal low clouds and fog. Warmer than normal
conditions for the coast and valleys, and hot conditions in the
deserts, will continue through the end of the work-week as the
ridge lingers over the region.

&&

.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...

Morning visible satellite indicates clearing mid and high level
clouds, resulting in mostly sunny skies. Water vapor satellite
imagery shows a ridge building near New Mexico and expanding west
into Southern California. The 12Z Miramar sounding shows about 4-6
degrees of warming between the surface and 750 mb compared to
yesterday morning, so the warmer air mass produced by the building
upper level ridge is evident. Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat
Advisories go into effect today as things really start to heat up.
Models show 500 mb heights of 595-596 DM reaching into our region
this afternoon. Highs today are expected to reach 15-20 degrees
above normal, and locally up to 25 degrees above normal. Highs are
forecast to reach the mid to upper 80s at the coast, 95-99 a few
miles inland, 98-105 for the San Diego county valleys, 96-102 for
inland Orange county, 93-102 for the Santa Ana
mountains/foothills, 102-108 for the Inland Empire, 93-104 in the
mountains below 6000 feet, low 90s above 6000 feet, 99-107 in the
High Deserts, and 114-119 in the Lower Deserts.

Monday still looks like it will be the hottest day, with
500 mb heights reaching 597 DM over us (which would be near
record-breaking for June), and 600 DM over the four corners where
the core of the high will be. Models continue to show 850 mb
temperatures of 32-33 deg C over the deserts and near 31 deg C at
the coast. GFS MOS guidance seems to have the best handle on
temperatures, considering how anomalously strong this ridge will
be. It continues to show highs potentially reaching 122 in Palm
Springs, 110 in Ontario, and now up to 110 in Ramona. Right now,
the forecast shows highs reaching 85-90 at the coast, 95-101 at
few miles inland, 100-108 for the San Diego county valleys, 97-107
for inland Orange County, 100-108 for the mountain slopes below
6000 feet, 105-112 in the Inland Empire, 90s at mountain resort
levels, 103-113 in the High Deserts, and 115-121 in the lower
deserts. These temperatures may need to be adjusted upward. This
will result in numerous temperature records being broken or tied
on Sunday and especially Monday. See the CLIMATE section below for
more details.

Should not be quite as hot on Tuesday as the models continue to
show a coastal eddy developing Monday night and continuing through
the day Tuesday. This should bring some cooling to the coast and
valleys. Another factor that will likely produce lower
temperatures on Tuesday is mid and high clouds associated with an
easterly wave which is expected to move over the region. Even
though the ridge weakens only slightly that day, the cloud cover
should reduce temperatures in the mountains and deserts by a few
degrees. Regardless, it will still be quite hot. The coastal eddy
may also bring a return of marine layer low clouds and fog to the
coast as early as Monday night. The majority of moisture
associated with the wave is above 500 mb, with a dry layer below
that level. Elevated instability looks weak at the moment, so
it would likely just produce virga and maybe a few sprinkles.

The ridge will weaken a bit further on Wednesday, producing a bit
more cooling. However, temperatures will still be above normal,
especially in the deserts where it will still be pretty hot. 594
DM 500 mb heights hang around Thursday and Friday as well, so
temperatures well above normal should continue. There's the
possibility that the Excessive Heat Warning for the deserts, which
currently ends Wednesday evening, may need to be extended a day or
two longer. Even by next weekend, the ridge will still be
dominating across the south and southwest U.S., continuing the
warm/hot weather. A shallow marine layer should produce night and
morning marine layer clouds/fog along the coast and western
valleys Wednesday through next weekend, with subtle day-to-day
variations.

&&

.AVIATION...
191530Z...FEW clouds around 20K ft this morning, then becoming
mostly SKC. Temperatures will rise to 115-119 F this afternoon in
portions of the Coachella Valley and Low Desert, and could make take-
off more difficult for heavy aircraft. Mostly P6SM vis through Mon
morning.

&&

.MARINE...
830 AM...NW wind gusts to 20 kt is possible at times over the outer
waters through Monday. Otherwise, no hazardous marine weather is
expected through Thursday.

&&

.CLIMATE...
Many high temperature records will likely be broken or tied through
Monday with some record high minimum temperature records broken or
tied as well. Based on the current forecast...here are some of the
records that could be tied or broken...

For Today...
                Forecast   Current Record
Newport Beach      83        82 in 1957
Chula Vista        92        88 in 1957*
Escondido         103       102 in 1929
El Cajon          102        94 in 2001
Ramona            105       102 in 2008
Alpine            103       103 in 1973
Big Bear Lake      87        87 in 1985
Idyllwild          94        93 in 1961
Palomar Mountain   93        91 in 1954
Campo             104       104 in 1989
Palm Springs      116       116 in 2008
Borrego Springs   115       115 in 1989

For Monday...
                Forecast   Current Record
Newport Beach      86        82 in 1929
Chula Vista        92        85 in 2008*
Escondido         108       104 in 1973
El Cajon          105        94 in 2007
Ramona            107       106 in 2008
Idyllwild          95        95 in 2001
Palomar Mountain   96        91 in 1970
Palm Springs      119       118 in 1929
Indio             117       116 in 1929
Thermal           120       118 in 2008
Borrego Springs   116       116 in 2008

* - Ties all-time record for June

For reference, the all-time record highs for June at
certain locations are as follows:

Chula Vista    92 (set in 1990)
Lake Elsinore  114 (set in 1917)
Escondido      109 (set in 1896)
El Cajon       106 (set in 1990)
Ramona         108 (set in 1981)
Alpine         109 (set in 1976)
Idyllwild      99 (set in 2013)
Campo          107 (set in 1994)
Palm Springs   122 (set in 2013)

&&

.SKYWARN...
Skywarn activation will not be needed today.

&&

.SGX Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
CA...Excessive Heat Warning from 11 AM this morning to 8 PM PDT
     Wednesday for Apple and Lucerne Valleys-Coachella Valley-
     Riverside County Mountains-San Bernardino County Mountains-
     San Diego County Deserts-San Diego County Mountains-San
     Gorgonio Pass Near Banning.

     Excessive Heat Warning from 11 AM this morning to 8 PM PDT
     Tuesday for Orange County Inland Areas-San Bernardino and
     Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire-San Diego County
     Valleys-Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills.

     Heat Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 8 PM PDT Monday for
     Orange County Coastal Areas-San Diego County Coastal Areas.

PZ...None.

&&

PUBLIC...Harrison
CLIMATE...17/Harrison
AVIATION/MARINE/BEACHES...JJT

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, San Diego County Valleys

When
June 19, 12:00 PM PST to June 30, 12:00 PM PST
Where
San Diego County Valleys forecast zone
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$4.0 million
Reported by
Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Border Fire began from unknown causes on the 19th of June. A local couple was killed on their property by the fire. Five structures and eleven outbuildings were destroyed, with one other home suffering damage. The fire also destroyed numerous power and phone lines. Firefighters acquired 100% containment on the fire June 30th, after 7,609 acres had been burned.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Wildfire, San Diego County Valleys2016-06-19MaleOutside/Open AreasDirect
Wildfire, San Diego County Valleys2016-06-19FemaleOutside/Open AreasDirect

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

More

Every storm in California in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in California, June 2016

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: 644664.