California, 2001

Dust Storm and Damaging Wind in California, November 22, 2001

November 22, 2001 · NWS SGX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Three power poles were blown down in Adelanto. Blowing sand and dust with visibility 10 feet or less was observed in the Apple Valley.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$9,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Three power poles were blown down in Adelanto. Blowing sand and dust with visibility 10 feet or less was observed in the Apple Valley. A spotter reported wind gusts around 35 mph.

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 Nov 22, 9:30 AM PST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 22, 9:30 AM PST, 50 minutes before
EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
930 AM PST THU NOV 22 2001

.SYNOPSIS...A DEEPENING MARINE LAYER AND INCREASING ONSHORE FLOW WILL
CAUSE MORE EXTENSIVE NIGHT AND MORNING LOW CLOUDS...FOG AND LOCAL
DRIZZLE WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS...OTHERWISE IT WILL BE PARTLY CLOUDY
THROUGH FRIDAY. A SERIES OF PACIFIC STORMS WILL BRING UNSETTLED
WEATHER WITH PERIODIC SHOWERS STARTING LATE IN THE DAY SATURDAY AND
CONTINUING INTO MID WEEK. WINDY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS AT
TIMES. LARGE SURF WILL DECREASE BY SATURDAY.

.DISCUSSION...RAPIDLY DEEPENING MARINE LAYER EXTENDING LOW CLOUDS TO
MTN PASSES THIS MORNING AND A COUPLE REPORTS OF DRIZZLE. CLOUD LAYER
THIN AND BROKEN UP. IT LOOKS PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A MIX OF LOW AND
HIGH CLOUDS TODAY. MARINE LAYER WILL BE DEEP AGAIN TONIGHT WITH
PASSING WAVE AND MOSTLY CLOUDY W OF MTNS. SURF STILL PLENTY BIG AND
WILL SLOWLY DECREASE TONIGHT AND FRI.

CURRENT SHORTWAVE SCREAMING THROUGH STRONG JET GIVING CENTRAL CA
SOME RAIN. THIS WILL ONLY CRANK UP WINDS IN OUR AREA ESPECIALLY NRN
DESERT AND MAY NEED TO ISSUE WIND ADV FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVE.
BEST WINDS STAYING JUST NORTH...BUT WILL WATCH CLOSELY. NEW MODELS
DELAY BRINGING THE REAL RAIN IN UNTIL SAT EVE WITH ETA SLOWEST. MAY
NEED TO DELAY FCST ARRIVAL OF RAIN...BUT THEN STRONG JET MAY SPEED
THINGS UP. RAIN SAT NIGHT AND SUN MORN WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS N. NEXT
WAVE RACES THROUGH LATE MON INTO TUE.

.SAN...HEAVY SURF ADVISORY...SEE LAXMWSSAN.
    ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...SEE LAXCWFSGX.
    ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SEE LAXSPSSAN.

MM

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, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, San Bernardino

When
November 22, 10:20 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino County, Adelanto
Property damage
$9,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dust Storm, Apple and Yucca Valleys

When
November 22, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Apple and Yucca Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.841, -116.178 (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.
Dust Storm
Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.

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, November 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: 5272533, 5272534.