Damaging Wind in California, July 6, 2001

Name: Damaging Wind in California, July 6, 2001
Start: 2001-07-06T13:20
End: 2001-07-06T13:20
Location: California

July 6, 2001 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Wind gust to 40 mph in downdrafts lowered the visibility to near zero from blowing sand. 75 inches in 20 minutes, was also observed.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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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 SGX wrote it up.

Wind gust to 40 mph in downdrafts lowered the visibility to near zero from blowing sand. Heavy rain, 0.75 inches in 20 minutes, was also observed.

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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 6, 1:00 PM PST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 6, 1:00 PM PST, 20 minutes before

EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
200 PM PDT FRI JUL 6 2001

                             ...SYNOPSIS...
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS
AND DESERTS THIS EVENING...AND A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
THESE AREAS UNTIL 9 PM. IT WILL BE ANOTHER WARM AND HUMID NIGHT IN
THE COASTAL AND VALLEY SECTIONS. BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE AND A SHIFT
TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING A DRYING TREND LATE SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY.

                             ...DISCUSSION...
DEBRIS CLOUDS CLEARED QUICKLY THIS MORNING AND RAPID DAYTIME HEATING
PRODUCED ATMOSPHERIC DESTABILIZATION. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED
AROUND OVER THE SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY MTNS...AND ALSO
IN MEXICO SOUTH OF THE IMPERIAL COUNTY BORDER. 1 KM VIS SATELLITE
IMAGERY SHOWED SEVERAL OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES DEVELOPED WITH THESE
STORMS. LAPS DATA INDICATED HIGHEST CAPE VALUES OVER EASTERN SAN
DIEGO COUNTY AND IMPERIAL COUNTY AND GOES HIGH DENSITY WINDS SHOW 30
TO 40 KT 300 MB WINDS OVER SE CA DESERTS. HOWEVER...A THICK CIRRUS
SHIELD FROM THE MCS IN MEXICO IS APPROACHING THIS AREA AND THIS
CLOUD COVER WILL LIMIT MAXIMUM DESTABILIZATION. AS FOR THE FLASH
FLOOD THREAT...IT WILL CONTINUE IN THE MTNS AND DESERTS THROUGH THE
EVENING AS STORMS TRAIN OVER THE SAME AREAS.

TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY THE VORTICITY MAXIMUM WEST OF CENTRAL
BAJA WILL TRACK NORTH...AND DEEP MOISTURE WILL LINGER INTO SATURDAY
FOR CONTINUED CHANCES FOR SHOWERS. ON SATURDAY NIGHT...THE MOIST
SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL SHIFT TO A DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW RESULTING IN
LOWER HUMIDITIES SUNDAY. HOWEVER...LINGERING MOISTURE IN THE MTNS
AND DESERTS MAY TRIGGER ISOLATED/SCATTERED AFTERNOON CONVECTION ON
SUNDAY.

IN THE EXTENDED...DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW IS FORECAST ACROSS SW
CALIFORNIA. HOWEVER...PROXIMITY OF THE MASSIVE UPPER HIGH OVER HIGH
PLAINS MAY KEEP MORE OF A MOIST SOUTHEAST FLOW ACROSS THE EASTERN
DESERTS. THEREFORE...WILL KEEP THE THREAT AFTERNOON/EVENING
CONVECTION IN THE MTNS AND DESERTS EACH DAY.

.SAN...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 9 PM FOR MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS
       CAZ055>058-060>062...SEE FFASAN.

MOEDE

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, San Diego

When: July 6, 1:20 PM PST
Where: San Diego County, Borrego Spgs
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in California in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in California, July 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: 5258022.