Strong Wind in California, May 23, 1996

Name: Strong Wind in California, May 23, 1996
Start: 1996-05-23T11:00
End: 1996-05-23T17:00
Location: California

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

Strong pressure gradients across the West produced gusty winds over Northwest California. Peak gusts at 1 pm PST were 41 mph at Trinidad Head and 39 mph at Cooskie Mountain.

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 EKA wrote it up.

Strong pressure gradients across the West produced gusty winds over Northwest California. Peak gusts at 1 pm PST were 41 mph at Trinidad Head and 39 mph at Cooskie Mountain.

Event by event

1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Redwood Coast

When: May 23, 11:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where: Redwood Coast forecast zone

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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: 5545928.