High Wind in California, June 7 to 8, 2002

Name: High Wind in California, June 7 to 8, 2002
Start: 2002-06-07T18:13
End: 2002-06-08T20:00
Location: California

June 7 to 8, 2002 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Gusty northwest wind in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts plagued the area late on the 7th and much of the 8th. In the Kern Mountains Jawbone RAWS reached 38 MPH and Tehachapi sustaining 41 MPH.

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.

Gusty northwest wind in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts plagued the area late on the 7th and much of the 8th. In the Kern Mountains Jawbone RAWS reached 38 MPH and Tehachapi sustaining 41 MPH. In the Kern Desert areas Indian Wells Canyon gusted to 55 MPH and Government Peak had sustained wind at 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 Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 7, 2:45 PM PST, 3 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 7, 2:45 PM PST, 3 hours 28 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
345 PM PDT FRI JUN 7 2002

UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER WASHINGTON STATE WILL MIGRATE SOUTHEASTWARD
AND SETTLE INTO THE GREAT BASIN DURING THE NEXT 48 HRS. THIS WILL
ALLOW TROUGH TO DEEPEN OVER CALIFORNIA THIS WEEKEND AND BRING
SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER WEATHER TO INTERIOR CALIFORNIA.

SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS HAVE STEADILY INCREASED THIS AFTERNOON...
NOW UP TO 10.5 MB BETWEEN SFO AND LAS. RESULTANT ONSHORE FLOW
THRU THE SAC DELTA WILL SHOW UP AS A HEALTHY MARINE PUSH IN THE
SJ VLY THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. ADDITIONAL
COOLING REINFORCEMENTS WILL FOLLOW SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT AS
THE UPPER LEVEL JET CUTS ALONG THE BACKSIDE OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW.
1000-500 MB PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL BE MOST ALIGNED SAT AFTN AND
NIGHT TO SUPPORT BRISK WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF OUR CWA...ESP OVER
THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND THROUGH FAVORED MOUNTAIN PASSES AND
CANYONS. EVEN THE WEST SIDE OF THE SJ VLY WILL BE VULNERABLE TO
GUSTY WINDS DURING THE NEXT 36 HRS...ESP SAT AFTN AND NIGHT. WINDS
CHANNELLING THROUGH SOME OF THE MOUNTAIN PASSES OF KERN COUNTY COULD
EASILY GUST TO 60 MPH THIS WEEKEND. FOR THE SAKE OF WEEKEND TRAVELERS...
A SPECIAL HEADS UP WEATHER STATEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE KERN
COUNTY MTNS AND DESERT. (SEE SFOSPSHNX...WMO HEADER WWUS86). WIND
ADVISORIES AND/OR HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE WARRANTED FOR LATER FCST
PKGS IN THESE AREAS.

ON SUNDAY NIGHT...PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL BEGIN TO DECOUPLE AND
TREND OFFSHORE AS A SURFACE HIGH SETTLES INTO THE GREAT BASIN. HENCE...
WINDS SHOULD ABATE RATHER QUICKLY SUNDAY NIGHT AND ALLOW THE MERCURY
TO DIP SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW THE SEASONAL NORMALS. THE MEDIUM AND
LONG RANGE MODELS KEEP A WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH HANGING BACK OFF
THE WEST COAST DURING THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL INHIBIT
ANY FAST WARMUP ACROSS INTERIOR CA. IF MOST OF THE LONG RANGE MODELS
ARE CORRECT...A MORE PRONOUNCED WARMING TREND SHOULD TAKE PLACE DURING
MID TO LATE WEEK AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS WESTWARD FROM TEXAS.

.HNX...NONE.

DURFEE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 7, 3:00 PM PST, 3 hours 13 minutes before

ZCZC SFOSPSHNX
TTAA00 KHNX DDHHMM
CAZ095-098-099-081100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
400 PM PDT FRI JUN 7 2002

...LOCALLY STRONG WINDS EXPECTED ACROSS THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS
AND DESERT THIS WEEKEND...

A DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL SETTLE INTO THE
GREAT BASIN DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS WHILE A STRONG AREA OF
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OFF THE WEST COAST. THE LARGE DIFFERENCE IN
BAROMETRIC PRESSURE ACROSS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WILL RESULT IN
VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT
THIS WEEKEND.

WEST WINDS WILL AVERAGE 25 TO 35 MPH TONIGHT AND INCREASE TO
30 TO 40 MPH DURING THE DAY SATURDAY WITH GUSTS TO 60 OR 70 MPH
POSSIBLE THROUGH AND BELOW THE NORMALLY WINDIER PASSES. LOCALLY
STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS ARE LIKELY TO PERSIST SATURDAY NIGHT AND
SUNDAY AS MUCH COOLER AIR INVADES THE REGION.

PERSONS PLANNING TRAVEL THROUGH THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND
DESERT THIS WEEKEND SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR STRONG WINDS AND AREAS
OF POOR VISIBILITY DUE TO BLOWING SAND AND DUST. VERY STRONG CROSS
WINDS WILL HAMPER TRAVEL ALONG U.S. 395 AND HIGHWAY 14 THIS WEEKEND.

DURFEE

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: June 7, 6:13 PM PST to June 8, 8:00 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: June 7, 8:53 PM PST to June 8, 8:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: June 8, 2:02 AM PST to 8:00 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, June 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: 5296440, 5296439, 5296511.