California, 2002

High Wind in California, March 1, 2002

March 1, 2002 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

While gusty wind began in the Kern Mountains and Deserts late in the afternoon of February 28th, much of the highest wind was observed over Interior Central California in the early hours of the 1st. On the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley, automated stations reported northwest wind gusts to 52 MPH at Los Banos around 1100 PST and Kettleman City had sustained wind of 29 MPH.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

While gusty wind began in the Kern Mountains and Deserts late in the afternoon of February 28th, much of the highest wind was observed over Interior Central California in the early hours of the 1st. On the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley, automated stations reported northwest wind gusts to 52 MPH at Los Banos around 1100 PST and Kettleman City had sustained wind of 29 MPH. In the Kern Mountains, Jawbone RAWS reached gusts to 45 MPH (from 1753 PST on Feb 28th into the 1st of March) with Tehachapi area gusts to 44 MPH at 2245 PST on Feb 28th. In the Kern Desert, gusts to 53 MPH and 54 MPH were reported at Indian Wells Canyon and Laurel Mountain, respectively; 58 MPH at Inyokern Airport, and one peak gust of 63 MPH at Government Peak at 0851 PST on the 1st.

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 Feb 28, 9:25 PM PST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 9:25 PM PST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED ADVISORY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
925 PM PST THU FEB 28 2002

PRIMARY SHORT TERM CONCERN REMAINS POTENTIAL FOR GUSTY WINDS IN THE
CWA. PRECARIOUS BALANCE IS OCCURRING IN THE CENTRAL/SOUTH VALLEY
BETWEEN LOW-LEVEL DECOUPLING AND INCREASING DOWNWARD MOMENTUM
TRANSFER AS NEXT AREA OF SUBSIDENCE SPREADS SOUTH INTO THE DISTRICT.
00Z RAOBS SHOWED FLOW BELOW H5 BETWEEN 15-30 KTS...AND KHNX VWP
SHOWS WINDS THUS FAR HAVE REMAINED BELOW 25 KTS. HOWEVER...SURFACE
ANALYSIS SHOWS PRESSURES CONTG TO INCREASE OVER THE GREAT BASIN AND
PROGS INDICATE AN ADDITIONAL 8-10 MB RISE OVERNIGHT. BELIEVE WINDS
WILL PICK UP IN THE CENTRAL/SOUTH VALLEY TONIGHT AS SUBSIDENCE CONTS
TO STRENGTHEN. HOWEVER...STRENGTH OF DVM IS PROGGED TO REMAIN BELOW
5 UBAR/SEC AND INCREASING STABILIZATION OF LOWER LEVELS SHOULD
PREVENT STRONGER SPEEDS ALOFT FROM REACHING THE VALLEY FLOOR. WILL
NEED TO MONITOR FOR A RAPID INCREASE IN SPEEDS FRI MORNING AS TIGHT
SURFACE GRADIENTS WILL ALREADY BE IN PLACE AND MORNING MIXING WILL
HAVE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFER STRONGER SPEEDS TO SURFACE.

KERN MTNS AND DESERTS WILL BE AN EXCEPTION AS KEYX WVP SHOWS 25-40
KT FLOW THRU LOWER 5K FEET. WITH OFFSHORE SURFACE GRADS TIGHTENING
AND COUPLING WITH INCREASING DVM OVERNIGHT...WIND GUSTS WILL CONT TO
HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REACH WAD LEVELS AND ADVISORY FOR KERN MTNS
AND DESERTS WILL BE MAINTAINED.

QUICK LOOK AT INCOMING GUIDANCE SHOWS DVM INCREASING THRU AN
IMPRESSIVE DEPTH OVER THE CWA ON FRI AS UPPER JET NOSES SOUTH.
HOWEVER...00Z AVN IS FALLING MORE IN LINE WITH THE ETA KEEPING JET
AXIS EAST OF THE SIERRA WHICH MAY KEEP STRONGER WINDS EAST OF THE
CWA.

WILL PREPARE MINOR ZONE UPDATE TO ADDRESS WINDS IN THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTH VALLEY...OTHERWISE ZONES REMAIN ON TRACK.

.HNX...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS
       TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.
    ...HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THE INDIAN WELLS VALLEY FOR FRIDAY NIGHT
       AND SATURDAY.

JSN

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When
March 1, 12:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
Where
Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When
March 1, 12:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where
Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When
March 1, 12:00 AM PST to 2:00 PM PST
Where
Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, W Central Sj Valley

When
March 1, 10:00 AM PST to 2:00 PM PST
Where
W Central Sj Valley forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Sw Sj Valley

When
March 1, 10:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where
Sw Sj Valley 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

More

Every storm in California in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 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: 5287195, 5287196, 5287197, 5287193, 5287194.