Posted January 1, 2007, 9:46 AM.

1. Esperanza Fire, October 26th - 30th, 2006. Smoke and ash from this 40,200 acre wildfire, on the north slope of Mt. San Jacinto, covered western Riverside county, Fallbrook and beyond, darkening the afternoon sky. The fire was caused by arson, and the perpetrator has been caught. Five firefighters died; 34 houses were destroyed. The Esperanza fire ended up as the largest wildfire in recent Riverside county history and the top weather story of this past year.
2. Heat Records, July 22nd, 2006. In the grip of a summer heat wave, this Saturday was hottest day of the decade. Six of eight WeatherCurrents stations set all-time highs, including De Luz at 113.5°F, which was the all-time hottest at a WeatherCurrents location. Temecula's record of 111.3°F was the hottest in at least eight years, since measurements began in 1999. Many people reported temperatures of 118°F from their car thermometers.
3. Severe Storm, September 6th, 2006. An unusual afternoon dust and thunder storm touched parts of the San Jacinto, Menifee, Perris and Temecula valleys, spawning landspouts in spots, snarling traffic along I-215. Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were recorded, thunderstorms dropped and more than an inch of rain fell in Hemet and in parts of the Temecula Valley, leading to flooding in the San Jacinto Valley.
4. Inland Valley Snowfall, March 11th, 2006. For the third time this decade, snow fell on portions of the inland valleys that rarely see it. This event was accompanied by tremendous cold the following day, even during the daytime. Snow was heavier in higher locations of western Riverside (such as Sage, Aguanga, Beaumont, Banning and Anza) and northern San Diego counties (such as the Oak Grove area), above 2,000 feet. Snow also very briefly fell in the Temecula city limits. Although significant, it was nothing like the November 21st, 2004 snow event that covered much of southwest Riverside county.
5. Border Fire, June 30th - July 1st, 2006. Although this fire only burned 150 acres, it made the list based on traffic snarls along I15 into the Temecula Valley and past Rainbow and Fallbrook in San Diego county. There were several other smaller fires this year in De Luz, Anza, near Lake Skinner in the Temecula Valley wine country, and near the Soboba area in Hemet, but the Border Fire caused the maximum amount of grief.