Wildfire in California, July 2 to 8, 2024

Name: Wildfire in California, July 2 to 8, 2024
Start: 2024-07-02T11:00
End: 2024-07-08T17:44
Location: California

July 2 to 8, 2024 · NWS STO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Thompson Fire started around 11 am on July 2nd, 2024 near the spillway of Lake Oroville Dam. Very hot temperatures, combined with critical fire weather conditions allowed for rapid growth of the fire shortly after ignition prompting several evacuation warnings and orders.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $5.2 million
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.

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 Jul 2, 12:30 AM PST, 10 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 2, 12:30 AM PST, 10 hours 30 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sacramento CA
130 AM PDT Tue Jul 2 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
Widespread Major to Extreme HeatRisk into next week. Critical
fire weather conditions in the Sacramento Valley and adjacent
foothills through Wednesday.

&&

Key Points
- Long-duration, major heat event this week impacting holiday
  outdoor events.
- Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect for the Valley, Delta
  and foothills through Saturday evening.
- Red Flag Warning is in effect for much of the Sacramento Valley
  and adjacent elevations below 3000 feet through Wednesday
  evening.

.Discussion...
North to east surface pressure gradient has tightened overnight
behind the short-wave trough now well east of the region. The
MFR-SAC gradient is nearly 12.5 mbs while the RNO-SAC gradient is
about 6.5 mbs. The result has been an increase in north to
northeast breezes with gusts of 15-25 mph in the Sacramento Valley
and 20-30 mph over the northern Sierra. Combined with a very dry
airmass moving overhead, elevated to critical fire weather
conditions are expected the next couple of days and a Red Flag
Warning remains in effect for much of the Sacramento Valley and
surrounding foothills.

The long duration heatwave is underway and will continue into next
week. Widespread Major to Extreme HeatRisk will last at least into
the weekend, and an Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect
through Saturday evening. Highs of 105-115 are expected across
the valley and foothills this week with locally hotter
temperatures possible toward the end of the week. With little or
no Delta Breeze influence, overnight lows will be very mild as
well, mainly in the 70s though some foothill thermal belts will
only see lows in the 80s.

&&

.EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Saturday THROUGH Tuesday)...
598-600 DM upper high progged over interior NorCal Saturday will
push the mercury up to at or above 110 Deg F throughout much of
the Central Valley. This will likely break record high
temperatures for many areas. Upper high gradually shifts into
the Great Basin Sunday into Tuesday resulting in a slow downward
trend in max temps, but remaining upwards of 10 to 20 degrees
above normal. Overnight low temperatures forecast from the upper
60s near the Delta to mid 80s in the thermal belts of the
foothills. Minimum humidities remain in the teens and single
digits with widespread moderate to poor overnight recoveries in
the foothills and mountains.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR conditions over interior NorCal next 24 hrs. In Sac Vly,
areas of Nly sfc wind 15 to 20 kts and SWly up to 15 kts vcnty of
Delta.

&&

.STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Red Flag Warning until 8 PM PDT Wednesday for Carquinez Strait
and Delta-Central Sacramento Valley in Glenn, Colusa, Yuba,
Northern Sutter, and Butte County Below 1000 Ft-Eastern
Mendocino NF-Eastern Portion of Shasta/Trinity NF-Northern
Sacramento Valley to Southern Tehama County Line Below 1000 Ft-
Northern Sierra Foothills from 1000 to 3000 Ft. Includes
portions of Shasta-Trinity and Butte Units-Southeast Edge Shasta-
Trinity NF and Western Portions of Tehama-Glenn Unit-Southern
Sacramento Valley in Yolo-Sacramento Far Western Placer,
southern Sutter and Solano County Below 1000 Ft.

Excessive Heat Warning from 11 AM this morning to 8 PM PDT
Sunday for Carquinez Strait and Delta-Central Sacramento Valley-
Motherlode-Mountains Southwestern Shasta County to Western
Colusa County-Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley-Northern
Sacramento Valley-Northern San Joaquin Valley-Shasta Lake Area /
Northern Shasta County-Southern Sacramento Valley.

&&

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Central Sacramento Valley

When: July 2, 11:00 AM PST to July 8, 5:44 PM PST
Where: Central Sacramento Valley forecast zone
Property damage: $5.2 million
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue

The Thompson Fire started around 11 am on July 2nd, 2024 near the spillway of Lake Oroville Dam. Very hot temperatures combined with critical fire weather conditions allowed for rapid growth of the fire shortly after ignition prompting several evacuation warnings and orders. Within the first 24 hours, the fire was mapped at over 3,000 acres. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported the fire to be 100% contained on July 8th, 2024 at 3,789 acres. Red Flag conditions were not being met at the time of ignition, however temperatures reached around 100 to 104 degrees, with relative humidity in the 10 to 18 percent range, and wind gusts of 20 to 25 mph. From July 3rd through 8th, the heat continued with temperatures peaking around 110 to 115 degrees, and low relative humidity continued, in the 8 to 18 percent range, however winds returned to more of the typical diurnal regime. Over 10,000 people were under evacuation orders. The California Department of Water Resources activated the EAP for Lake Oroville Dam under non-emergency level. The fire resulted in loss of transmission lines. 8 structures were damaged, and 26 structures were destroyed.

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

Every storm in California in 2024 Every state in 2024 This day in weather history Warnings in California, July 2024

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: 1180496.