Thunderstorm Wind, Merced
- When
- April 1, 2:38 PM PST to 2:43 PM PST
- Where
- Merced County, Los Banos to 1 mi NW of Los Banos
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 37.070, -120.870
Damaging Wind in California, April 1, 1996
High wind from the SSW swept the western edge of the west Merced County town of Los Banos over a path length of 11/2 mile. Very small structures, trees, and powerlines received damage.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $50,000
- 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 HNX wrote it up.
High wind from the SSW swept the western edge of the west Merced County town of Los Banos over a path length of 11/2 mile. Very small structures, trees, and powerlines received damage. Eyewitness accounts saw no funnel thus damage is attributed to downburst wind with associated thunderstorms rolling through the area in a "bow echo". High wind lifted one 10'x10' small hay storage structure during heavy rain. Another eyewitness watched powerlines being downed along with a small water utility structure. Additional damage was caused to other small structure tin roofing. This event could have been a very small F0 tornado but evidence appears to support thunderstorm wind.
The radar
The San Francisco radar (KMUX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:30 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Drought in Texas, April 1 to 30, 1996
- Damaging Wind in California, April 1, 1996
- Damaging Wind in California, April 1, 1996
- Drought in Texas, April 1 to 30, 1996
- Drought in Texas, April 1 to 30, 1996
- Drought in Texas, April 1 to 30, 1996
- Drought in New Mexico, April 1 to 30, 1996
- Damaging Wind in California, April 1, 1996
- Damaging Wind in California, April 1, 1996
- Tornado in California, April 1, 1996
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, April 1 to 2, 1996
- Drought in Oklahoma, April 1 to 30, 1996
More
Every storm in California in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 1996
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: 5580609.