Back to forecast
On This Day In 2003: Cedar Fire Ravages San Diego Area
October 25, 2020 at 02:55 PM EDT
By WeatherBug's Christopher Smith
On this day in 2003, the Cedar Fire ravaged the San Diego area in what would end up being one of the largest fires in state history.
The weather leading up to the outbreak of the Cedar Fire was especially dry, setting fuel for the fire. The summer of 2003 ranked in the bottom 5th percentile for rainfall amounts across southern California. Not to be outdone, southern California had only received about half the rainfall it normally gets through the year leading up to October. Then on October 25th, a flare from a lost hiker triggered what would eventually become the Cedar Fire.
On that day, the Cedar Fire slowly expanded and was hard to battle as the flames were in the middle of high terrain. The weather then took a turn for the worst early on October 26. Strong Santa Ana winds with gusts in excess of 60 mph developed and pushed the fire towards the west and down the mountains. Between Midnight and 10 a.m., the Cedar Fire advanced 30 miles, invading San Diego’s northern suburbs.
After pushing into the northern San Diego metro, it raged for four days before moisture returned by November 1. When all was set and done, more than 70,000 acres, or nearly 422 square miles of land were charred. The Cedar Fire took 15 lives and more than 2,800 structures were destroyed. The damage is estimated to have cost around $204 million.
Mid to late autumn is the prime time for Santa Ana winds. These strong offshore winds develop as cold pushes of air from Canada sweep into the Mountain West and set up a strong pressure gradient. The pressure gradient creates gusty offshore winds that lower humidity significantly and greatly increases the wildfire potential. The Cedar Fire serves as a reminder that it only takes one accidental flame to cause a massive suite of problems during the Santa Ana wildfire season.
Sources: fs.usda.gov, weather.gov, sandiego.gov.
---------
Story Image: A smoke-filled sky near Pacific Beach, Calif., during the 2003 Cedar Fire. (Wikimedia Commons)
The weather leading up to the outbreak of the Cedar Fire was especially dry, setting fuel for the fire. The summer of 2003 ranked in the bottom 5th percentile for rainfall amounts across southern California. Not to be outdone, southern California had only received about half the rainfall it normally gets through the year leading up to October. Then on October 25th, a flare from a lost hiker triggered what would eventually become the Cedar Fire.
On that day, the Cedar Fire slowly expanded and was hard to battle as the flames were in the middle of high terrain. The weather then took a turn for the worst early on October 26. Strong Santa Ana winds with gusts in excess of 60 mph developed and pushed the fire towards the west and down the mountains. Between Midnight and 10 a.m., the Cedar Fire advanced 30 miles, invading San Diego’s northern suburbs.
After pushing into the northern San Diego metro, it raged for four days before moisture returned by November 1. When all was set and done, more than 70,000 acres, or nearly 422 square miles of land were charred. The Cedar Fire took 15 lives and more than 2,800 structures were destroyed. The damage is estimated to have cost around $204 million.
Mid to late autumn is the prime time for Santa Ana winds. These strong offshore winds develop as cold pushes of air from Canada sweep into the Mountain West and set up a strong pressure gradient. The pressure gradient creates gusty offshore winds that lower humidity significantly and greatly increases the wildfire potential. The Cedar Fire serves as a reminder that it only takes one accidental flame to cause a massive suite of problems during the Santa Ana wildfire season.
Sources: fs.usda.gov, weather.gov, sandiego.gov.
---------
Story Image: A smoke-filled sky near Pacific Beach, Calif., during the 2003 Cedar Fire. (Wikimedia Commons)