California, 2018

Wildfire in California, August 6 to 31, 2018

August 6 to 31, 2018 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Holy Fire started around 2:15 PM PST on August 6th and spread rapidly through the Santa Ana Mountains. Hot temperatures and dry conditions helped exasperate the fire even further.

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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$500,000
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 Holy Fire started around 2:15 PM PST on August 6th and spread rapidly through the Santa Ana Mountains. Hot temperatures and dry conditions helped exasperate the fire even further. Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Trabuco Canyon, including the entire community of Holy Jim. The fire grew in total to over 23,000 acres and was fully contained on September 13th.

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 Aug 6, 12:57 PM PST, 1 hour 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 6, 12:57 PM PST, 1 hour 3 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Diego CA
157 PM PDT Mon Aug 6 2018

.SYNOPSIS...
Very hot and dry conditions will continue for inland areas through
Tuesday. Monsoonal moisture will begin to return on Wednesday,
bringing higher humidities and a chance of mostly afternoon and
early-evening thunderstorms, mainly in the mountains, deserts,
and inland valleys. For next weekend, a trough of low pressure
moving inland through the Pacific Northwest will bring some drying
and strengthen the onshore flow, with gusty southwest to west
winds in the mountains and deserts each the afternoon and
evening.

&&

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

Sunny and hot this afternoon...Across the region, temperatures
are running several degrees higher than at this time yesterday.
Much of the Inland Empire is currently reporting triple-digit
temperatures, along with a few mountain locations. As expected,
highest temps are being reported in the lower deserts with
readings from 104 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

From previous discussion...
High pressure aloft, centered over New Mexico and Arizona will
expand across Southern California, bringing very hot and dry
conditions for inland areas through Tuesday. The marine layer and
weak onshore flow will help to moderate temperatures near the
coast, though sea surface temperatures in the mid to upper 70s
will continue to keep nights warmer near the coast with low
temperatures mostly in the 70s. The local high-resolution model
shows a coastal eddy developing tonight and continuing into
Tuesday. This might bring some patchy low clouds to areas near the
coast late tonight into Tuesday morning.

On Wednesday...monsoonal moisture will begin to return. This will
take the edge off the excessive heat for inland areas and bring a
chance for thunderstorms over the mountains on Wednesday
afternoon and early evening.

For Thursday and Friday...southeast flow between high pressure to
the north centered over Nevada and a tropical cyclone off the
southwest coast of Baja will maintain the influx of monsoonal
moisture into Southern California with continuing chances for
afternoon and early evening thunderstorms for the mountains,
deserts, and inland valleys. Some convection could occur overnight
and spread west of the mountains around Thursday night as a weak
upper level disturbance moves in from the southeast. With weaker
onshore flow, high temperatures for coastal areas could be warmer
for Thursday and Friday than earlier in the week with high
temperatures in the 90s extending almost to the coast.

For next weekend, a trough of low pressure moving inland through
the Pacific Northwest will bring a return of onshore flow and
some slow drying. Medium-range deterministic models show some
differences on the timing of the drier conditions, with the
European model a little faster and the GFS slower.

&&

.AVIATION...
062030Z...Coast/Valleys...Expect stratus with bases 600-1000 ft AGL and
tops around 1800 ft AGL to impact KSAN/KCRQ terminals 10-15Z Tuesday.
Patchy fog will reduce visibilities to below 3SM this period over the
higher terrain near the coast. Haze will affect inland empire terminals
with visibilities 4-6SM during the daytime hours.

Mountains/Deserts...VFR conditions with clear skies and unrestricted
visibilities. Localized gusty northwest winds can be expected
during the evening hours 23-04Z.

&&

.MARINE...
No hazardous marine weather is expected through Friday.

&&

.BEACHES...
Evening high tides will rise to around 7 ft beginning on Wednesday,
peaking at around 7.5 ft Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
In addition, potentially large south swells generated from Tropical
Storm John will move into the coastal waters beginning Thursday and
continue through the weekend. The combination of high tides and
elevated to high surf will likely cause minor coastal flooding during
the late afternoon and evening each day during this period. High surf
and rip currents will impact the beaches Friday through Sunday, with
the greatest impacts over the Orange County and northern San Diego
County beaches.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Very hot and dry conditions will continue for inland areas through
Tuesday with lowest daytime humidities of 5 to 10 percent in the
inland valleys, mountains and deserts, with a slight increase in
the lower deserts on Tuesday. Monsoonal moisture will begin to
return on Wednesday, bringing higher humidities and a chance of
mostly afternoon and early evening thunderstorms, mainly in the
mountains, deserts and inland valleys. For next weekend, a trough
of low pressure moving inland through the Pacific Northwest will
bring some drying and strengthen the onshore flow with gusty
southwest to west winds in the afternoons and evenings in the
mountains and deserts.

&&

.SKYWARN...
Skywarn activation is not requested. However weather spotters are
encouraged to report significant weather conditions.

&&

.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...Excessive Heat Warning until 8 PM PDT Tuesday for Apple and
     Lucerne Valleys-Coachella Valley-Orange County Inland Areas-
     Riverside County Mountains-San Bernardino County Mountains-
     San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys-The Inland
     Empire-San Diego County Deserts-San Diego County Mountains-
     San Diego County Valleys-San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning-
     Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills.

PZ...NONE.

&&

PUBLIC/FIRE WEATHER...PG
AVIATION/MARINE...Moreland

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, Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills

When
August 6, 2:00 PM PST to August 31, 11:59 PM PST
Where
Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills forecast zone
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates
33.483, -116.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Holy Fire began in the Santa Ana Mountains around 2:15 PM PST on August 6th. The hot and dry conditions helped to exasperate the fire further. By the morning of August 7, the fire had increased in size to 4,000 acres and by August 8, it had grown to 6,200 acres. By August 9, more than 21,400 people in 7,400 residences were placed under mandatory evacuation in south Corona, Lake Elsinore, and several communities in the Santa Ana Mountains. Ortega Highway was closed for an indefinite period of time, due to fire danger between Antonio Parkway in San Juan Capistrano and Grand Avenue in the Lake Elsinore. The fire size in total ended up growing to over 23,000 acres. Eighteen structures were destroyed in Orange and Riverside Counties. No major injuries or deaths were reported. The fire was fully contained on September 13th.

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 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2018

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: 782705.