Strong Wind in California, December 14, 2002

Name: Strong Wind in California, December 14, 2002
Start: 2002-12-14T14:04
End: 2002-12-14T23:39
Location: California

December 14, 2002 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $15,000
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.

Winds at the Los Banos RAWS Meso-net gusted to 57 MPH from the WSW at 1704 PST on the 14th with numerous locations around the Central and South San Joaquin Valley reporting downed trees and powerlines. Sustained winds were noted at Mendota in the 25-29 MPH range around the same time. And while the east side of the San Joaquin Valley was recording steady wind of 30 MPH with gusts to 36 MPH, the west side near Kettleman Hills reached gusts of 55 MPH. Wind gusts exceeded 40 MPH from the middle of the afternoon of the 14th until just before midnight. Navy Lemoore had sustained winds of 33 MPH at 1958 PST.

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 Dec 14, 9:15 AM PST, 4 hours 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 14, 9:15 AM PST, 4 hours 49 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
915 AM PST SAT DEC 14 2002

CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. PRECIP
WILL BE SPOTTY IN NATURE DUE TO LACK OF UVM...BUT COULD STILL HAVE
SOME SPKLS OR LIGHT SHOWERS FROM TIME TO TIME. CURRENT FCSTS ON
TRACK AND NO UPDATE NEEDED THIS MORNING.

NEW MESO ETA SHOWING INCREASING WINDS AND PRECIP ARRIVING LATE
TONITE INTO MON AS NEXT IN THE SERIES OF SYSTEMS MOVES IN. QPF FROM
THIS SYS LOOKS BETTER THAN THE PREVIOUS COUPLE...SO POSSIBLY A
LITTLE WETTER IN THE SJV AND HEAVY SNOW IN THE SIERRA. SNOW LEVELS
WILL ALSO LOWER QUITE A BIT BY TUES AFTN...RANGING FROM ABOUT 3500
FEET NEAR YOSEMITE...TO 5K TEHACHAPIS. SNOWFALL TOTALS IN THE SRN
SIERRA COULD BE SEVERAL FEET ABOVE 7-8K...WITH A FEW INCHES INTO THE
HIGHER FOOTHILLS BY TUES PM. WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT THIS
AFTERNOON.  BINGHAM

.HNX...WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM
       YOSEMITE TO THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS MONDAY THROUGH
       MONDAY NIGHT.

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 14, 5:49 AM PST, 8 hours 15 minutes before

CAZ089>099-151400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
549 AM PST SAT DEC 14 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
SUNDAY MORNING FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE
NATIONAL PARK THROUGH THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS.  (PLEASE REFER
TO SFOWSWHNX...WWUS46 KHNX).

STRONG SOUTHEAST WINDS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN
VALLEY MAY REACH ADVISORY LEVELS THIS AFTERNOON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY
FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK THROUGH
THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS. THE WET WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH THE PERIOD AS A SERIES OF STRONG WEATHER SYSTEMS ARE EXPECTED
TO MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WILL
OCCUR SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ADDITIONAL
WINTER STORM WARNINGS. (PLEASE REFER TO SFOWSWHNX...WWUS46 KHNX).

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

KB

Event by event

3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, W Central S.J. Valley

When: December 14, 2:04 PM PST to 11:39 PM PST
Where: W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 49 kt (56 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, E Central S.J. Valley

When: December 14, 3:53 PM PST to 11:39 PM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 31 kt (36 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Sw S.J. Valley

When: December 14, 7:00 PM PST to 11:39 PM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 48 kt (55 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in California, December 2002

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: 5324653, 5324654, 5324655.