High Wind and Strong Wind in California, December 31, 2002

Name: High Wind and Strong Wind in California, December 31, 2002
Start: 2002-12-31T10:40
End: 2002-12-31T18:00
Location: California

December 31, 2002 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Wind likely associated with a mountain wave reached high wind criteria in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts during the afternoon of the 31st. In the vicinity of Inyokern winds spiked at 73 knots at a nearby low-elevation mountain meso-net site and a falling tree resulted in a fatality from the wind in Inyokern.

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $206,000
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.

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 31, 9:30 AM PST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 9:30 AM PST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
930 AM PST TUE DEC 31 2002

HANFORD DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR SHOWS SHOWERS CONTINUING OVER THE
EASTERN HALF OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
AND THE EASTERN TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS. THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS ARE OVER
THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA IN KERN AND TULARE COUNTIES...BUT RADAR
SHOWS A BAND OF SHOWERS MOVING TOWARD YOSEMITE...AND SACRAMENTO AND
MONTEREY RADARS SHOW ADDITIONAL SHOWERS HEADED FOR THE NORTHERN
PORTIONS OF THE HANFORD WARNING/FORECAST AREA...SO WILL NOT REMOVE
POPS FROM THIS AFTERNOON.

WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...YOSEMITE TO
KINGS CANYON...VERIFYING THIS MORNING. WITH DECREASING SHOWER
ACTIVITY...WILL LET THE WARNING EXPIRE AT NOON.

BEHIND TODAY/S STORM...THE MODELS FORECAST UPPER-LEVEL RIDGING TO
BUILD BACK INTO CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY. THE NEXT STORM...CURRENTLY
LOCATED NEAR 48N/149W,,,IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
THURSDAY. FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...THE MAIN IMPACT FROM
THIS NEXT SYSTEM WILL BE TO FLATTEN THE RIDGE THROUGH FRIDAY WITH
THE ENERGY FROM THE SYSTEM STAYING MAINLY NORTH OF YOSEMITE AND
MERCED. MID- AND HIGH-LEVEL OVERRUNNING CLOUDS FROM THIS SYSTEM
WILL BRING MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES TO MUCH OF THE REGION...KEEPING FOG
FORMATION AT A MINIMUM THROUGH FRIDAY. THE 12Z GFS FORECASTS A MAJOR
REBOUND IN THE UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE FOR THE WEEKEND...WITH THE 500-MB
5820-METER HEIGHT LINE PUSHING NORTH TO NEAR REDDING BY SUNDAY
MORNING. THUS...EXPECT THE THICKEST TULE FOG BEGINNING SATURDAY
THROUGH AT LEAST TUESDAY MORNING.

POPS FAT 300 BFL 200 YNP +00. SANGER

.HNX...A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS
       MORNING FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...FROM YOSEMITE TO
       KINGS CANYON.

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 31, 5:58 AM PST, 4 hours 42 minutes before

CAZ089>099-011400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
558 AM PST TUE DEC 31 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A STRONG...FAST MOVING COLD FRONT SPREAD HEAVY SNOW AND GUSTY
WINDS ACROSS THE SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON.
THE FRONTAL PASSAGE COMBINED WITH A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET
STREAM WILL CREATE STRONG WINDS OVER THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS
TODAY.

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON THIS MORNING. (WWUS46 KHNX)

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS TODAY.
(WWUS76 KHNX)

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

PATCHY DENSE FOG WILL DEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY FOR THE START OF THE NEW YEAR THROUGH MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

KB

Event by event

2 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: December 31, 10:40 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: December 31, 10:40 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured: 73 kt (84 mph) measured gust
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: December 31, 10:40 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
High Wind, Indian Wells Vly	2002-12-31	76	Male	Under Tree	Direct

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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: 5324740, 5324741, 5324742.