Name: Wildfire in California, September 5 to 30, 2018
Start: 2018-09-05T06:32
End: 2018-09-30T11:59
Location: California

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 STO wrote it up.

A large fire developed during an extended period of hot, dry weather with gusty winds.

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 Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 5, 2:00 AM PST, 4 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 5, 2:00 AM PST, 4 hours 32 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sacramento CA
300 AM PDT Wed Sep 5 2018

.SYNOPSIS...
Warm and dry weather continues this week. Areas of smoke and haze
from wildfires will persist.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Clear skies cover interior NorCal early this morning. The marine
layer remains between 1500-2000 ft and onshore gradients are
similar to 24 hours ago. Current temperatures range from the 40s
in the mountain valleys to the 60s across the Central Valley.

Isolated late-day thunderstorms will be possible again today in
the Sierra south of Lake Tahoe, otherwise warm and dry weather
will continue across the region. Temperatures are expected to warm
a bit toward the end of the week as ridging from the eastern
Pacific extends into NorCal. With area fires continuing to burn,
expect smoke and haze to be present, especially for the northern
Sacramento valley and surrounding locations.

&&

.EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Sunday THROUGH Wednesday)
Confidence is growing in a cooling pattern during the extended
period with ECMWF and GFS now both going with a slow trough
development over the eastern Pacific and west coast Sunday through
Tuesday. Daytime highs start out just a bit above normal Sunday
dropping to a little below normal by Tuesday. Stable southwest
flow aloft should keep any shower activity out of the forecast
area during this time. Temperatures may cool a bit more on
Wednesday as the upper trough digs in along the west coast. ECMWF
and GFS both paint in some light precipitation over the north
state as a shortwave disturbance pivots around the base of the
main trough. Have put in some ghost pops across the northern CWA
for now but will keep an eye on this time period as models
develop.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR conditions expected for the next 24 hours, with local MVFR
conditions possible in vicinity of wildfire smoke and haze.
Southwest wind gusts 20 to 25 mph near the Delta. Otherwise winds
below 15 knots. Isolated thunderstorms possible in the
afternoon/early evening over the Sierra crest south of Tahoe.

&&

.STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None.

&&

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Shasta Lake/North Shasta County

When: September 5, 6:32 AM PST to September 30, 11:59 AM PST
Where: Shasta Lake/North Shasta County forecast zone
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue

The Delta Fire began on September 5, 2018, near Lakehead by Shasta Lake, in Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Shasta County. The fire was determined to be human caused. The fire burned 63,100 acres and caused evacuations through the area, with 20 structures destroyed and no injuries reported. The fire was not fully contained until October 7. The fire came close to the Carr Fire. The Delta Fire burned into the western perimeter of the Hirz Fire on September 10.

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 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in California, September 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: 787171.