High Wind in California, March 13, 2002

Name: High Wind in California, March 13, 2002
Start: 2002-03-13T12:50
End: 2002-03-13T14:55
Location: California

March 13, 2002 · NWS LOX · 3 events in 1 county or zone

Gusty west winds between 30 and 40 mph knocked down some trees across Los Angeles county, producing some minor damage. In Los Angeles, the gusty winds knocked over a 50 foot tree onto a van.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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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 LOX wrote it up.

Gusty west winds between 30 and 40 mph knocked down some trees across Los Angeles county, producing some minor damage. In Los Angeles, the gusty winds knocked over a 50 foot tree onto a van. In Studio City, the winds knocked down a tree onto a UPS truck. In Hollywood, the winds knocked down a tree onto a car. No injuries were reported with any of the incidents.

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 Los Angeles, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 13, 8:30 AM PST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 13, 8:30 AM PST, 4 hours 20 minutes before

SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
830 AM PST WED MAR 13 2002

WINDS ARE THE MAIN WEATHER CONCERN TODAY AND THURSDAY. HIGH WIND
WARNINGS POSTED FOR THE MOUNTAINS, ANTELOPE VALLEY, AND SRN SBA
COUNTY. SOME OF THESE MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED BUT THEY ARE CERTAINLY
WARRANTED AT THIS TIME. ADVISORIES ALSO POSTED FOR THE CENTRAL COAST,
MAINLY FOR LATER THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON. WILL HAVE TO WATCH
FOR POSSIBLE ADVISORIES ALONG THE LA AND VENTURA COUNTY COASTS AS WELL
THIS AFTERNOON.

TEMPS OBVIOUSLY MUCH COOLER TODAY WITH STRONG COLD ADVECTION.
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS WILL SEE THE LARGEST DROPS, WITH VALLEYS AND
COASTS ALSO SEEING SIZABLE COOLING TRENDS.

EXPECT WINDY CONDITIONS TO LAST FOR MUCH OF TONIGHT AND POSSIBLY INTO
EACLY THURSDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE FLOW ALOFT STARTS TO SHIFT TO MORE OF
A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION AND GRADIENTS START TO TURN OFFSHORE. STILL
EXPECT LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS THROUGH FRIDAY BUT NOT NEARLY AS STRONG OR
WIDESPREAD.

BIG SWELLS HAVE ARRIVED NORTH OF POINT CONCEPTION AND HIGH SURF
ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT. LOOKS LIKE THE PERIODS ARE LONG ENOUGH TO
GET SOME WRAP AROUND INTO THE BIGHT REGION SO WE SHOULD SEE A SIZABLE
INCREASE IN SURF ALONG WEST FACING BEACHES SOUTH OF POINT CONCEPTION
BY THIS AFTERNOON.

TEMPS WILL REMAIN COOL THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. BIG CHANGE IN THE
EXTENDED FORECAST FROM YESTERDAYS MODELS. MOST MEDIUM RANGE PROGS NOW
SHOWING AN IMPRESSIVE TROF OVER THE WEST COAST SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH
AMPLE MOISTURE FOR PRECIP. NOT SURE WHY THERE WAS SUCH A DRAMATIC
CHANGE IN THE GUIDANCE, BUT HARD TO GO AGAINST ALL THE MODELS. UNLESS
THE 12Z AVN HAS A CHANGE OF HEART, WILL LIKELY KEEP THE CHANCE OF
PRECIP IN THE SUNDAY-TUESDAY TIME FRAME. HOWEVER, CONFIDENCE IS VERY
LOW STILL AS THIS SYSTEM SEEMS TO HAVE A STRONG NORTHERLY COMPONENT TO
IT, WHICH FOR OUR AREA OFTEN RESULTS IN MORE WIND AND COLDER TEMPS
THAN PRECIP.

LAX 000. WOFFORD

.LOX...HIGH WIND WARNINGS/WIND ADVISORIES (SEE LAXNPWLAX).
       HIGH SURF ADVISORY (SEE LAXMWSLAX).
       GALE WARNING/SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY (SEE LAXCWFLAX).

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Los Angeles

When: March 13, 12:50 PM PST
Where: Los Angeles County, Los Angeles
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.198, -118.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Los Angeles

When: March 13, 1:50 PM PST
Where: Los Angeles County, Studio City
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.198, -118.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Los Angeles

When: March 13, 2:55 PM PST
Where: Los Angeles County, Hollywood
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.198, -118.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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, 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: 5287377, 5287378, 5287379.