California, 2023

Excessive Heat and Dense Fog in California, August 28 to 30, 2023

August 28 to 30, 2023 · NWS SGX · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

An upper level area of high pressure caused very hot daytime temperatures to occur in late August 2023. It also caused the daily marine layer low clouds/fog to become more confined to the coast, which resulted in dense fog impacting San Diego International Airport for an extended period of time, resulting in a large number of delays.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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.

An upper level area of high pressure caused very hot daytime temperatures to occur in late August 2023. It also caused the daily marine layer low clouds/fog to become more confined to the coast, which resulted in dense fog impacting San Diego International Airport for an extended period of time, resulting in a large number of delays.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 excessive heat, 1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Excessive Heat, San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire

When
August 28, 11:00 AM PST to August 30, 8:00 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
34.293, -116.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very hot daytime temperatures occurred across the Inland Empire August 28-30th, when Excessive Heat Warnings were in effect. Highs between 100-107 occurred each afternoon, with the hottest temperatures occurring near Chino, Riverside, and San Bernardino.

Excessive Heat, San Diego County Valleys

When
August 28, 11:00 AM PST to August 30, 8:00 PM PST
Where
San Diego County Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very hot daytime temperatures occurred across the San Diego County Valleys on August 28-30th, when Excessive Heat Warnings were in effect. Highs between 94-106 degrees occurred each afternoon, with the hottest temperatures occurring near Escondido, Ramona, and Poway.

Excessive Heat, Coachella Valley

When
August 28, 11:00 AM PST to August 30, 8:00 PM PST
Where
Coachella Valley forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very hot daytime temperatures occurred across the Coachella Valley on August 28-30th, when Excessive Heat Warnings were in effect. Highs between 108-118 degrees occurred each afternoon, with the hottest temperatures occurring in Palm Springs.

Excessive Heat, San Diego County Deserts

When
August 28, 11:00 AM PST to August 30, 8:00 PM PST
Where
San Diego County Deserts forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very hot daytime temperatures occurred across the San Diego County Deserts on August 28-30th, when Excessive Heat Warnings were in effect. Highs between 108-115 degrees occurred each afternoon, with the hottest temperatures occurring in Borrego Springs.

Excessive Heat, Orange County Inland

When
August 28, 11:00 AM PST to August 30, 8:00 PM PST
Where
Orange County Inland forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
33.677, -117.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very hot daytime temperatures occurred across inland portions of Orange County on August 28-30th, when Heat Advisories were in effect. Highs between 91 and 103 degrees occurred each day, with Yorba Linda and Anaheim seeing the hottest temperatures, both exceeding 100 degrees on the 28th and 29th.

Excessive Heat, San Bernardino County Mountains

When
August 28, 11:00 AM PST to August 30, 8:00 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino County Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very hot daytime temperatures occurred across the San Bernardino County Mountains on August 28-30th, when Heat Advisories were in effect. Highs in the upper 80s to near 90 degrees occurred, with Wrightwood and Lake Arrowhead seeing the warmest temperatures.

Excessive Heat, Riverside County Mountains

When
August 28, 11:00 AM PST to August 30, 8:00 PM PST
Where
Riverside County Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very hot daytime temperatures occurred across the Riverside County Mountains on August 28-30th, when Heat Advisories were in effect. Highs in the lower 90s to just over 100 degrees occurred, with Anza and Idyllwild seeing the warmest temperatures.

Excessive Heat, San Diego County Mountains

When
August 28, 11:00 AM PST to August 30, 8:00 PM PST
Where
San Diego County Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very hot daytime temperatures occurred across the San Diego County Mountains on August 28-30th, when Heat Advisories were in effect. Highs in the lower to middle 90s occurred, with Julian seeing the warmest temperatures.

Excessive Heat, Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills

When
August 28, 11:00 AM PST to August 30, 8:00 PM PST
Where
Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
33.483, -116.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very hot daytime temperatures occurred across the Santa Ana Mountains on August 28-30th, when Heat Advisories were in effect. Highs of 99 to 102 occurred near El Cariso during this time.

Dense Fog, San Diego County Coastal Areas

When
August 30, 2:50 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Coastal Areas forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog reducing visibility to as low as 1/4 SM occurring from roughly 3:50 AM to 9:00 AM PDT caused numerous delays at San Diego International Airport.

What these are

Excessive Heat
Heat at or above the local excessive heat warning criteria, or heat that caused deaths.
Dense Fog
Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2023

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1132649, 1132650, 1132651, 1132652, 1133792, 1133794, 1133795, 1133796, 1133798, 1133801.