Two fires started within a short time of each other on the afternoon of September 3, 2017, both in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The Mission fire began 2 miles east of North Fork in Madera county and burned 1035 acres and destroyed three residences and damaged 4 other structures before being contained on September 13, 2017.
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 HNX wrote it up.
Two fires started within a short time of each other on the afternoon of September 3, 2017, both in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The Mission fire began 2 miles east of North Fork in Madera county and burned 1035 acres and destroyed three residences and damaged 4 other structures before being contained on September 13, 2017. The Peak fire began 9 miles southeast of Mariposa in Mariposa county and burned 680 acres and destroyed 2 structures before being contained on September 9, 2017. The cause of both fires is unknown.
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 Sep 3, 4:00 AM PST, 8 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA 500 AM PDT Sun Sep 3 2017 .SYNOPSIS... Temperatures will remain above normal through at least the middle of next week. Showers and thunderstorms will be possible in the mountains and desert areas each day mainly in the afternoon and evening. Additional moisture over the area as remnants of tropical storm Lidia pass by offshore will also create a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms in portions of the San Joaquin Valley today through Labor Day. && .DISCUSSION... The upper ridge bringing very hot conditions to central California is weakening and shifting eastward under the influence of weak low pressure spinning off the California coast while tropical system Lidia treks northwestward from northern Baja. Enhanced moisture in the southeasterly flow between the synoptic features has produced some showers and small thunderstorms across Kern County overnight. Radar shows a few showers remnants currently drifting northwestward through the San Joaquin Valley. Temperatures continue to run quite warm, most notably in the south Valley, where the temperature at Meadows Field Bakersfield has not yet dropped below 90 degrees. The weakening ridge along with effects of increasing moisture will produce slightly lower temperatures today, though still hot enough to cause health risks to persons sensitive to heat. A heat advisory remains in effect today for the San Joaquin Valley, foothills and Kern County mountains below 5000 ft. Mid level moisture will continue to advect over the area as Lidia continues to track northwest to west through Labor Day. This will maintain thunderstorm chances over the mountains and desert areas, with slight chances in mainly the southern portions of the Valley today through Labor Day. Temperatures will continue to trend downward on Labor Day as high pressure continues to weaken. Flow remains southeastward Tuesday and Wednesday as the cyclonic circulation drifts northward. This will provide enough mid level moisture to keep thunderstorm chances in the mountain and desert zones each afternoon and evening, while temperatures lower a little closer to climo. By Thursday a developing trough approaching from the north will produce a drier onshore southwesterly flow, bringing an end to the thunderstorm threat and lowering temperature to at or slightly below normal into next weekend. && .AVIATION... Areas of smoke from near Yosemite National Park down through Sequoia National Forest from associated wildfires producing local IFR conditions over the Southern Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills and MVFR visibility in the San Joaquin Valley for the next 24 hours. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected over the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains producing mountain obscurations. Otherwise, VFR conditions can be expected the remainder of the time over the Central CA Interior during the next 24 hours. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... Please see SFOAQAHNX for an Air Quality Alert On Sunday September 3 2017... Unhealthy for sensitive groups in Fresno... Kern... Kings... Madera... Merced 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 medium. 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... Heat Advisory until 9 PM PDT this evening CAZ089>095. && public...JEB avn/fw...DS synopsis...JEB weather.gov/hanford
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley CA 1252 PM PDT SUN SEP 3 2017 CAZ092-094-097-032030- Tulare County Foothills CA-Tulare County Mountains CA- Southeastern San Joaquin Valley CA- 1252 PM PDT SUN SEP 3 2017 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTH CENTRAL TULARE COUNTY UNTIL 130 PM PDT... At 1250 PM PDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Wolverton Point, moving northwest at 15 mph. Winds in excess of 30 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... South Fork Campground, Potwisha Campground, Atwell Mill Campground, Cold Springs Campground, Ash Mountain Sequoia Park HQ, Buckeye Flat Campground, Hockett Meadow Ranger Station, Mineral King Ranger Station, Wolverton Point, Shadequarter Mtn, Giant Forest, Three Rivers and Case Mountain. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm, and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle. && LAT...LON 3647 11859 3631 11869 3641 11907 3665 11893 TIME...MOT...LOC 1950Z 115DEG 12KT 3643 11873 mv
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Mission Fire was located 2 miles east of North Fork in Madera County. It burned 1035 acres in the Sierra Foothills, destroyed three homes and damaged 4 other structures before being contained. The cost of containment was $13.8 million.
The Peak fire was located 9 miles southeast of Mariposa, in Mariposa county. It burned 680 acres and destroyed 2 structures before being contained on September 9. The cost of containment was $1 million.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in California, September 2017
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: 718335, 718337.