High Wind in California, January 10, 2001

Name: High Wind in California, January 10, 2001
Start: 2001-01-10T09:00
End: 2001-01-10T14:30
Location: California

January 10, 2001 · NWS EKA · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

C-MAN station at Point Arena measured 52 knot (59 mph) peak wind at 11:45 am. General wind speeds were 35 to 45 mph with widespread damage to trees and power lines.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

C-MAN station at Point Arena measured 52 knot (59 mph) peak wind at 11:45 am. General wind speeds were 35 to 45 mph with widespread damage to trees and power lines.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Eureka, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 10, 2:15 AM PST, 6 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 10, 2:15 AM PST, 6 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
215 AM PST WED JAN 10 2001

MODELS APPEAR TO HAVE INITIALIZED BETTER THAN AVERAGE TONIGHT.
WHILE APPARENTLY MISSING STRONG VORT DIVING DOWN THE WEST SIDE
OF THE 40N/127W UPPER LOW THEY HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA IN REORGANIZING
THE LOW FARTHER SOUTH. SFO BAY LOOKS GOOD FOR ITS LOCATION LATE
TODAY BOTH SURFACE AND ALOFT. AM INCLINED TO ACCEPT THE MODELS
TONIGHT BUT MESOETA SHOWS SHOWERS ENDING NEAR THE COAST NORTH OF
CAPE MENDOCINO BEFORE SUNRISE...DISPUTING WHAT RADAR IS SHOWING.
IT LOOKS OVERDONE IN ITS OROGRAPHIC SINKING...ESPECIALLY DOWN
FROM THE KING RANGE INTO THE EKA AREA...THOUGH IT APPEARS TO BE
KILLING THE SHOWERS THERE NOW. LOW LEVEL OFFSHORE (DOWNSLOPE)
FLOW DOESN/T APPEAR STRONG ENOUGH TO END THESE SHOWERS. BUT WE
DO HAVE AN ADVECTION TREND CURRENTLY BRINGING IN DRIER AND MORE
STABLE AIR...AND THE DEEP UPWARD MOTION IN MODELS ENDS BY AFTERNOON.
SO DECREASING THE SHOWERS LOOKS THE WAY TO GO AND WILL DROP POPS
TO CHANCE/SCATTERED CATEGORY TONIGHT AND REMOVE THEIR MENTION BY
FRI. STRONG RIDGE MOVING INTO REGION LATE FRI IS CAUSING GREAT
DIFFICULTY FOR NEXT UPSTREAM SYSTEM TO BREAK THROUGH TO CAUSE
MORE RAIN. BELIEVE MODELS ARE CORRECT HERE TOO AND WILL REMOVE
CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR WEEKEND. POPS CEC 620 EKA 630 UKI +61. GV

.EKA...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY PT ST GEORGE TO PT ARENA OUT 60 NM.
       HEAVY SURF ADVISORY OREGON BORDER TO GUALALA.

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Mendocino Coast

When: January 10, 9:00 AM PST to 2:30 PM PST
Where: Mendocino Coast forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, North Coast Interior

When: January 10, 9:00 AM PST to 2:30 PM PST
Where: North Coast Interior forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Mendocino Interior

When: January 10, 9:00 AM PST to 2:30 PM PST
Where: Mendocino Interior forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

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 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in California, January 2001

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: 5228160, 5228161, 5228162.