The Ranch 2 Fire burned 4,237 acres in the Angeles National Forest. No structures were destroyed, but eight firefighter injuries were reported.
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 LOX wrote it up.
The Ranch 2 Fire burned 4,237 acres in the Angeles National Forest. No structures were destroyed, but eight firefighter injuries were reported.
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 Los Angeles, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 13, 1:26 PM PST, 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
226 PM PDT Thu Aug 13 2020
.SYNOPSIS...13/824 AM.
There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms across the
area today as moisture streams into the region from the south. It
will be very warm today, then it will become very hot Friday
especially for valley and interior areas. The heat is expected to
last into early next week. Night and morning low clouds and fog
will be minimal, and confined near the coast.
&&
.SHORT TERM (TDY-SUN)...13/225 PM.
An upper-level low centered about 350 miles west of Point
Conception is bringing southerly flow with subtropical moisture from
the remnants of what was once "Elida" along its eastern side into
our area. This caused numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms
to develop across the coastal waters and into San Luis Obispo
County this morning. Rain totals were less than a tenth of an
inch. Rain chances will continue in SLO County through this
evening.
Still expecting a reduction in cloud cover this afternoon, and
models indicate instability this afternoon, mainly in the
mountains, the Antelope Valley, and the interior valleys of SLO
and SBA Counties. Lifted index values drop to around -5.5 across
the mtns of VTU County, with K index values near 42. Model
soundings show CAPE as high as 1100 j/kg in the VTU County mtns.
Orographics should provide enough of a trigger for some convective
activity this afternoon, so keeping a slight threat of showers
and thunderstorms in these areas this afternoon into early this
evening. With any thunderstorm, there will be a threat of dry
lightning, and erratic gusty winds, creating enhanced fire
concerns.
Max temps today are largely a factor of the sky cover, with the
cloud free portions of the south coast 5 degrees or more warmer
than yesterday. In places where it remains fairly cloudy there has
been a bit of cooling in some interior sections today. Still a
lot of afternoon to go, and expecting more warming throughout as
skies are clearing everywhere except SLO County.
The upper low should slide westward tonight and Friday, and models
show another surge of higher precipitable water values brought into
the region late tonight and Fri. There will still be a fair
amount of instability Fri afternoon, especially across the mtns of
L.A. and VTU Counties and the Antelope Valley. In addition, there
will be less cloud cover and more heating on Friday so continuing
with a slight chance of showers/tstms again Fri afternoon in the
same areas.
Expect little in the way of night through morning low clouds
tonight/Fri morning. Onshore gradients weaken on Fri, and temps
at 950 mb rise quite a bit. After a warm night tonight, with lows
remaining in the 70s to around 80 in the valleys, foothills and
Antelope Valley, max temps will really jump in most areas on
Friday. Expect highs to rise to between 102 and 110 degrees in
the Antelope Valley, the warmest locations in the lower mountain
elevations, and in the warmest locations in the valleys from L.A.
County through SLO County. An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect
for all of the areas starting of Fri, with a Heat Advisory for the
Los Angeles County coast and the Santa Ynez Valley.
It will be another very warm night Fri night, with lows struggling
to fall below 80 in the Antelope Valley, the foothills and even
some valley locations. If there is any night through morning low
clouds and fog, it will be confined to the immediate coast Fri
night/Sat morning.
Heights will rise a bit more over the region on Sat as will temps
at 950 mb. Gradients will remain rather weak, though may be
slightly stronger onshore in the afternoon. Overall, expect little
change in max temps on Sat, still very hot, with Excessive Heat
warnings and Heat Advisories in effect for the same areas as those
on Fri. N-S gradients across SBA County may bring some gusty
sundowner winds to southern SBA County late Sat into Sat night.
The upper high will move northward a bit into Nevada and Utah
Sunday and strengthen, keeping heights very high across the
forecast area. The northward move may open the door for some
monsoonal moisture moving into the area from the southeast. Have
added in a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms over the
mountains as a possibility accordingly.
.LONG TERM (MON-THU)...13/223 PM.
Not much change in the pattern Mon through Thu, with the upper
high bouncing from 595 to 600 DaM and centered over southern
Nevada. The ridge weakens a bit by Thursday, but we're looking at
a combination over hot days and very warm nights with excessive
heat conditions in the valleys and mtns for a while.
Some models continue the monsoonal moisture push into the region
through Tuesday and have added a chance of afternoon mountain
thunder and showers accordingly.
&&
.AVIATION...13/2028Z.
At 1907Z, the marine layer was around 600 ft deep with the top of
the inversion at 1300 feet with a temperature around 26 degrees
Celsius.
Remnant moisture from post-tropical storm Elida will bring VFR
Clouds over the region through today with VCSH possible for
coastal and valley TAFs through 2200z. Better chance for -TSRA
across the mountains and Antelope Valley after 18z through 03z
this evening.
Mid level clouds have scoured out the marine clouds. Some smoke
will affect KPMD and KWJF from the Lake Fire, otherwise terminals
should remain VFR through the 24 hour period.
KLAX...There is a 20 percent chance for IFR conditions after 12Z.
KBUR...VFR conditions are expected through the period.
&&
.MARINE...13/129 PM.
Winds and seas will likely remain below Small Craft Advisory
(SCA) levels through Saturday morning. There is a 20-30 percent
chance of SCA level gusts during the afternoon and evening hours
each day from Point Conception to San Nicolas Island. There is a
better chance of (SCA) winds increasing from Point Conception to
San Nicolas Island Saturday afternoon through through Sunday
evening. Then good confidence grows with (SCA) level NW wind gusts
across the entire outer waters through at least Monday night.
The best chance for Sundowner winds will occur Saturday and Sunday
evenings affecting the western portion of the Santa Barbara
Channel with NW gusts reaching (SCA) thresholds.
Patchy fog, locally dense with visibility under one mile, will
likely continue through mid-week across all the waters.
&&
.LOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...Heat Advisory in effect from 11 AM Friday to 9 PM PDT Sunday
for zones 36-41. (See LAXNPWLOX).
Excessive Heat Warning in effect from 11 AM Friday to 9 PM
PDT Monday for zones 37-38-44>46-51>54-88-547. (See LAXNPWLOX).
Excessive Heat Warning in effect from 11 AM Friday to 9 PM
PDT Tuesday for zone 59. (See LAXNPWLOX).
PZ...NONE.
&&
.HAZARD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK (SUN-THU).
Triple digit high temperatures and very warm nights will bring
the potential for excessive heat over many areas through Monday
and, for far inland areas, into Tuesday or longer. There is a
slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms from Sunday through
Tuesday.
&&
PUBLIC...DB/jld
AVIATION...Sweet/Kaplan
MARINE...Sweet/Kaplan
SYNOPSIS...Sweet/DB
weather.gov/losangeles1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Ranch 2 Fire burned 4,237 acres in the Angeles National Forest. No structures were destroyed, but eight firefighter injuries were reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2020
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: 915156.