High Wind in California, January 22, 2002

Name: High Wind in California, January 22, 2002
Start: 2002-01-22T06:00
End: 2002-01-22T18:00
Location: California

January 22, 2002 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Numerous meso-net weather reporting sites indicated gusty wind early on the 22nd. In the Kern Mountains sensors routinely reported 30-40 MPH sustained wind with gusts to 42 knots at Sandberg.

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.

Numerous meso-net weather reporting sites indicated gusty wind early on the 22nd. In the Kern Mountains sensors routinely reported 30-40 MPH sustained wind with gusts to 42 knots at Sandberg. In the Kern County Deserts Mojave had wind sustained at 40 knots with gusts to 50 knots while Government Peak had gusts to 55 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 Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 22, 3:45 AM PST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 22, 3:45 AM PST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
345 AM PST TUE JAN 22 2002

COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTH AND EXITING KERN COUNTY. STRONG COLD
ADVECTION BEHIND THE FRONT WITH P-GRADIENTS RAPIDLY INCREASING. RADAR
SHOWING SCATTERED INSTABILITY SHOWERS MOVING ONSHORE ACROSS NORCAL
AND EXTENDING AS FAR SOUTH AS MONTEREY BAY. NOT TOO SURE ABOUT THE
EXTENT OF THE INSTABILITY SHOWERS THIS FAR SOUTH TODAY. UPPER LEVELS
COOL BUT STRONG COLD ADVECTION AT LOW LEVELS AS WELL. WITH 88D
SHOWING SHOWERS STILL LINGERING ACROSS THE SOUTH VALLEY AT THE
MOMENT...WILL INSERT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR ENTIRE VALLEY AND
INCREASE CLOUD COVER.

MESO-ETA APPEARS TO HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON THE SHORT TERM...KEEPING
QPF GOING THROUGH 21Z TODAY ACROSS NORTH AND WEST FACING SLOPES OF
THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS. PROGGED FREEZING LEVELS AROUND 3500 FEET
IN THIS AREA WILL RESULT IN SOME FROZEN PRECIPITATION BELOW THE PASS
LEVELS. QPF WILL BE LIGHT BUT THE GRAPEVINE COULD BE TREACHEROUS
TODAY. ANOTHER SHORT TERM CONCERN DEALS WITH WIND ACROSS KERN
COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT. MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW GOOD DOWNWARD
TRANSPORT LEE SIDE OF THE KERN MOUNTAINS ALONG WITH TIGHTENING P-
GRADIENTS TODAY. WINDS ALREADY REACHING ADVISORY LEVELS AT WALKER
PASS AND JAWBONE RAWS...AND PROBABLY HOWLING PRETTY GOOD THROUGH
TEHACHAPI PASS. WINDS LIKELY TO REACH 60 MPH BELOW SOME OF PASSES IN
THE DESERT.

THIS BEING ONE OF THE COLDEST AIRMASSES OF THE SEASON...TEMPERATURES
SHOULD DROP TO OR BELOW FREEZING ACROSS ENTIRE CENTRAL VALLEY TONIGHT
WHERE CLEARING SHOULD TAKE PLACE. MOISTURE CONVERGENCE IN THE SOUTH
VALLEY SHOULD KEEP SOME CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA WITH WARMER MINS.
RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH BETTER
RADIATIONAL COOLING. FROST/FREEZE WARNINGS LIKELY TO BE NEEDED FOR
THE VALLEY.

EXTENDED MODELS STILL SHOWING A FAIRLY DEEP TROUGH DEVELOPING ACROSS
THE AREA OVER THE WEEKEND. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION SATURDAY THROUGH
MONDAY ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA LOOKS FINE. WILL NEED TO WATCH FOR
POTENTIAL OVERRUNNING PRECIPITATION INTO THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE
FORECAST AREA LATE FRIDAY.

.HNX...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY FOR THE KERN COUNTY
       MOUNTAINS.
    ...WIND ADVISORY TODAY FOR THE KERN COUNTY DESERT.
    ...FROST WARNING TONIGHT FOR THE CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY.

LINDQUIST

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: January 22, 6:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: January 22, 6:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: January 22, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert 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

Every storm in California in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in California, January 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: 5279353, 5279355, 5279354.