High Wind in California, May 23, 1996

Name: High Wind in California, May 23, 1996
Start: 1996-05-23T16:00
End: 1996-05-23T22:00
Location: California

May 23, 1996 · NWS LOX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

In the wake of a cold front, strong winds developed below passes and canyons of Santa Barbara county. Sustained northerly winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 55 mph were reported.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 LOX wrote it up.

In the wake of a cold front, strong winds developed below passes and canyons of Santa Barbara county. Sustained northerly winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 55 mph were reported. Numerous branches were knocked down into power lines, leaving over 6000 residents of Santa Barbara without electricity for several hours.

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northern Sacramento Valley

When: May 23, 4:00 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: Northern Sacramento Valley forecast zone
Measured: 48 kt (55 mph)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in California, May 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: 5545328.