California, 2001

High Wind in California, June 3 to 4, 2001

June 3 to 4, 2001 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A gusty wind episode occurred in the Kern County area on the 3rd and 4th of the month with winds reported as follows: Edwards AFB wind towers showing gusts 45-60 MPH by 1852 PST; Indian Wells Canyon RAWS reaching 47 MPH; and, Jawbone RAWS with gusts to 60 MPH. While elevated, these wind speeds did not reach the localized requirements for wind warning although causing concerns for vehicle movement.

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 HNX wrote it up.

A gusty wind episode occurred in the Kern County area on the 3rd and 4th of the month with winds reported as follows: Edwards AFB wind towers showing gusts 45-60 MPH by 1852 PST; Indian Wells Canyon RAWS reaching 47 MPH; and, Jawbone RAWS with gusts to 60 MPH. While elevated, these wind speeds did not reach the localized requirements for wind warning although causing concerns for vehicle movement.

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 Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 3, 1:00 PM PST, 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 3, 1:00 PM PST, 53 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
200 PM PDT SUN JUN 03 2001

UPPER LOW OVER THE WRN US CONTINUES TO PRODUCE A DRY NW FLOW ALOFT
OVER THE REGION. THIS LOW WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN AND MOVE EAST THE
NEXT 2 DAYS. MODELS SHOW ONLY SMALL INCREASES IN THICKNESS AND 8H
TEMPS THRU TUES FOR SLOW WARMING. COASTAL GRADS INTO THE SJV HAVE
WEAKENED PAST 24 HRS...AND WINDS ARE DOWN. HOWEVER FOR THE KERN MTNS
AND DESERTS...THE SFO-LAS GRAD IS A HEALTHY 13 MBS AND FCST TO BE
NEAR 15 MBS LATER THIS AFTERNOON. WILL KEEP GUSTY WINDS THRU THIS
EVENING...GRADUALLY DIMINISHING OVERNITE. ON MON...SFC PRESSURES
RISE IN THE DESERTS WITH THE SFO-LAS GRAD DECREASING TO ABOUT 6 MBS.
WILL JUST GO FOR SOME NORMAL DIURNAL BREEZES MON AND TUES. CLEAR
TONITE AND MON...WITH A FEW HIGH THIN CI MOVING THRU IN ZONAL FLOW
BY TUES.

IN THE EXTENDED...MODELS IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT IN AMPLIFICATION
OF THE PATTERN...WITH DEVELOPING TROF IN THE EAST PAC...AND BUILDING
UPSTREAM RIDGE OVER THE SW. THIS PLACES CENTRAL CA IN A MODERATE SW
FLOW ALOFT. HEIGHTS FAIRLY STAGNANT WED-FRI...HOWEVER WITH SW FLOW
ALOFT...WILL LIKELY GET SOME MARINE INTRUSION INTO THE SJV AND WILL
TEMPER TEMPS JUST A TAD LOWER THAN GUIDANCE. BIG QUESTION IS HOW
THINGS WILL PAN OUT NEXT WEEKEND. MRF IS FCSTG A DRY BUT RATHER
STRONG TROF TO MOVE INLAND SAT AND SUN. THIS IS A BIG CHANGE FROM
THE PREVIOUS RUN...AND NOT SUPPORTED WELL BY OTHER MODELS. NOGAPS
AND CANADIAN HAVE A MUCH WEAKER AND FASTER SHORTWAVE LATE FRI...
WHILE THE ECM KEEPS LOW OFFSHORE AND A STRONG 4-CORNERS HIGH. WILL
OPT FOR MIDDLE OF THE ROAD FOR NOW...AND CONT WITH A COOLING TREND
AND LOCALLY BREEZY...BUT NOT THE COLDER/WINDY MAGNITUDE THE MRF
SUGGESTS...AT LEAST FOR NOW.  ALL POPS ZERO.  BINGHAM

.HNX...NONE.

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When
June 3, 1:53 PM PST to June 4, 1:53 AM PST
Where
Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When
June 3, 1:56 PM PST to June 4, 8:00 AM PST
Where
Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When
June 3, 4:14 PM PST to 9:14 PM PST
Where
Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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

More

Every storm in California in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in California, June 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: 5245731, 5245733, 5245732.