California, 2017

Wildfire in California, August 13 to 31, 2017

August 13 to 31, 2017 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The South Fork Fire fire began on August 13, 2017, 1 mile east of Wawona along the south fork of the Merced river in Yosemite National Park. The fire closed several trails in the southern part of Yosemite.

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.

The South Fork Fire fire began on August 13, 2017, 1 mile east of Wawona along the south fork of the Merced river in Yosemite National Park. The fire closed several trails in the southern part of Yosemite. Thunderstorms downdrafts caused the fire to spread west and threaten the community of Wawona, which was evacuated for 6 days from August 19th to the 24th. Firefighters were able to contain the fire on the south and west side of the fire by August 26th, but the fire was being allowed to burn to the east. Containment was 44 percent by the end of August. Thereafter, the fire was being managed as it moved into rockier terrain in the wilderness of Yosemite. The fire will likely continue into October.

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 Aug 13, 9:30 AM PST, 3 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 13, 9:30 AM PST, 3 hours 58 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA
1030 AM PDT Sun Aug 13 2017

.SYNOPSIS...Cooling trend over the next couple of days, with
Tuesday being the coolest day. Then a warming trend into the
weekend.

&&

.DISCUSSION...Dry southwesterly flow will slowly give way today as
shortwave energy slides south out of the Northern Pacific. This
will shift the flow aloft and usher in some cooler air. Not
expecting much moisture with this impulse of energy, so
precipitation isn't likely. Nevertheless, a nice cooling trend
through Tuesday before temperatures begin to rebound back towards
the century mark in the SJV and Desert locations.

The warming trend will due to the Pacific ridge rather than the
monsoonal high, which will bring generally dry off shore flow.
However, the positioning of the ridge will allow for the potential
for other impulses to slide down the mean flow and/or even a
slight push of monsoonal moisture. Stay Tuned.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR conditions will prevail across the Central CA interior during
the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
On Sunday August 13 2017... Unhealthy for sensitive groups in
Fresno... Kern and Tulare Counties and Sequoia National Park and
Forest.
Further information is available at Valleyair.org

&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is high.
The level of certainty for days 3 through 7 is medium.

Certainty levels include low...medium...and high. Please visit
www.weather.gov/hnx/certainty.php for additional information
an/or to provide feedback.

&&

.HNX Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NONE.
&&

Meadows

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, S Sierra Mtns

When
August 13, 1:28 PM PST to August 31, 11:59 PM PST
Where
S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
Park/Forest Service

Fire began on August 13 of unknown cause, but was possibly lightning started. The fire began about 1 mile east of Wawona along the south fork of the Merced river in Yosemite National Park. The cost of containment was $8.6 milliion as of September 21. After the end of August the fire was being managed as it burned into rockier ground in the wilderness of Yosemite.

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 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2017

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: 718289.