High Wind in California, November 19, 1997

Name: High Wind in California, November 19, 1997
Start: 1997-11-19T12:30
End: 1997-11-19T19:30
Location: California

November 19, 1997 · NWS VEF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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.

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, W Inyo

When: November 19, 12:30 PM PST to 7:30 PM PST
Where: W Inyo forecast zone
Measured: 73 kt (84 mph)

A strong pressure difference between central California and the east side of the Sierra Nevada, enhanced by a strong jet stream, produced high winds in the Owens Valley. Winds frequently gusted over 60 mph between 12:30 pm and 7:30 pm PST near the base of the east slopes of the Sierra and an automated wind sensor near Independence recorded a gust of 84 mph around 2:30 pm PST. Visibility was reduced to less than 50 feet at times near Keeler as the high winds blew across the Owens Dry Lake and produced a dust storm. No damage reports were received.

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 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in California, November 1997

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: 5624947.