A heat wave developed August 2-4 with high temperatures 98 to 102F for Inland Empire and 115F at Palm Springs on Sunday August 2. The heat peaked on August 5-6, 2019.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 SGX wrote it up.
A heat wave developed August 2-4 with high temperatures 98 to 102F for Inland Empire and 115F at Palm Springs on Sunday August 2. The heat peaked on August 5-6, 2019. The impact was mainly the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley. On August 5 and 6, the Inland Empire cities reached 103 to 107 both days and on Monday August 5, Palm Springs recorded its hottest temperature of the year at 121F. Ocotillo Wells and Thermal were both 120F. Palm Springs was 116F on Sunday August 4.
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 1, 7:42 PM PST, 4 hours 18 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Diego CA 842 PM PDT Thu Aug 1 2019 .SYNOPSIS... Dry southwest flow aloft will prevail through Friday with strengthening high pressure for the weekend. There will be a warming trend through the weekend with areas of night and morning coastal low clouds and fog extending into the far western valleys at times. For the early to middle part of next week, a trough of low pressure will be just off the West Coast. High pressure will weaken and move east for the middle and latter part of next week. A cooling trend is expected for the middle part of next week. There are small chances for some return of monsoonal moisture for the early to middle part of next week. Chances for any thunderstorms remain small with continued dry weather more likely. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES... ...Update: Heat Building Inland Friday Through the Weekend... Temps were on the rise today with especially lower desert readings higher than forecast with Palm Springs soaring to 114! An upper level high will be building into SoCal from the east this weekend with peak H5 heights/H85 temps centered on Sunday-Monday with EC showing H85 temps of 30-31C over the lower deserts then and H5 heights to 595 DM. GFS slightly cooler, but given today's trends and recent heat events, definitely favoring the hotter EC and then some. Can only foresee temps rising from what was reached today as the dome of hotter air spreads in from the east. So temps will be on the rise away from the beaches Friday-Monday. Tuesday looks to be a transition day to a cooling trend, but the IE and deserts may not see "cooling" until next Wednesday. Given the aforementioned factors, increased forecast highs for Friday-Tuesday. In collaboration with neighboring offices, decided not to begin heat headlines this evening. We will all be making that determination overnight or during the day Friday. Right now leaning that they will be needed. Stay tuned. ...Previous Discussion (Issued at 224 PM PDT Thu Aug 1 2019)... Temperatures on the upswing now today compared to the last several days. Already this afternoon in the mid 90s in the inland valleys and around 110 in the lower deserts. A sprawling high pressure ridge...centered over the Southern Plains today...will retrograde to Arizona and Northern Sonora through this coming weekend. High pressure ridge strength varies between about 594 DM on the ensemble mean and operational GFS to about 597 DM on the operational EC. Temperatures near 115 degrees in the lower deserts will be likely between Friday through early next week. These temperatures will be on the marginal side of our heat alert products but the longevity of this marginal event could eventually require heat alerts and we will be considering that over the next couple of forecast cycles. The ridge breaks down by mid next week, when our region will likely be on the fringe periphery (again) of the broad monsoonal moisture surge over the Desert Southwest. At this time have not added thunderstorms to the forecast for Wednesday through Friday as the moisture profile is just too thin, but this is something we will continue to consider in the forecast. By about Friday next week a deep trough over the West Coast will help to push monsoonal moisture well east of the region, with another dry SW flow setting up over SoCal. && .AVIATION... 020325...Coast/Valleys...OVC008-012 cigs slowly filling into coastal SD County through this evening. Low to moderate confidence of cigs expected at KSNA and parts of Orange County after 11Z, but high confidence of no cigs reaching KONT tonight. Areas of reduced VIS 3- 5 sm obscured by clouds on elevated terrain and mesas including at KCRQ. Scatter out tomorrow 16Z-18Z with mostly clear skies for the afternoon. Mountains/Deserts...CLR with unrestricted VIS through Friday evening. && .MARINE... No hazardous marine weather expected through Monday. && .SKYWARN... Skywarn activation is not requested. However weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA...NONE. PZ...NONE. && PUBLIC...Gregoria (Update)/Brotherton (Prev Discussion) AVIATION/MARINE...APR
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Palm Springs reach 115F on August 2, 116F on August 4 and the hottest day of the summer at 121F on August 5. On August 5 Thermal and Ocotillo Wells reached 120F.
Ocotillo Wells hit 120F on August 5 after a couple days topping off around 115F.
The Inland Empire was 98 to 102F on August 2 and peaked to 103 to 107 on August 5 and 6th. On Tuesday, San Bernardino and Lake Elsinore (RTP) reached 106F and Riverside Airport topped out at 105F. Chino airport reached 104F and Ontario Airport 103F.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2019
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: 854732, 854734, 854733.