On this day in…
2006: Offshore winds blew to 40 mph in the Banning Pass. The Esperanza Fire was started by an arsonist. It eventually burned 40,200 acres from Cabazon to San Jacinto. It destroyed 34 homes and killed 5 firefighters.
2003: Santa Ana winds started on 10.25 and ended on 10.27. Gusts of 56 mph were measured at Descanso, 46 mph in Anza, 45 mph in Ontario, 43 mph at Fremont Canyon, 41 mph in Beaumont and 40 mph in Campo. Unprecedented wildfires, including the Cedar, Paradise and Otay Fires consumed hundreds of thousands of acres, killed over 20 people and caused over one billion dollars in damage. The Cedar Fire itself consumed more than 280,000 acres, making it the largest wildfire in California history, and killed 16. This is the also the second costliest fire in U.S. History (the costliest fire was the Oakland Fire of 1991).
2002: A funnel cloud was observed five miles northeast of Borrego Springs.