Southern California Wildfires : October 20 to November 3 2003

Hot, dry offshore winds, known as Santa Ana Winds in Southern California, coupled with long-term abnormally dry conditions across the area, set the stage for one of the more costly natural disasters in California history. During late Oct. into early Nov. 2003, 14 wind driven wildfires swept across Southern California. They killed 22 people, destroyed 3,600 homes, charred nearly 740,000 acres of land, & caused more than $2 billion in property damage. Due to the magnitude of this event, the Nat. Weather Service formed a service assessment team to examine the forecast & warning services provided to land managers, fire control personnel, emergency planners, media & the public. The team produced this Service Assessment Report. Illustrations.Johnson, David L. is the author of 'Southern California Wildfires : October 20 to November 3 2003', published 2005 under ISBN 9780756746636 and ISBN 0756746639.