California, 2002

High Wind in California, March 16 to 18, 2002

March 16 to 18, 2002 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Windy conditions prevailed for much of the period from the 16th through the 18th in the Kern Desert areas. Indian Wells Canyon had gusts consistently in the upper 40s to low 50s MPH range with gusts in the upper 50s to around 70 MPH as reported by a remote sensor unit at Government Peak.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Windy conditions prevailed for much of the period from the 16th through the 18th in the Kern Desert areas. Indian Wells Canyon had gusts consistently in the upper 40s to low 50s MPH range with gusts in the upper 50s to around 70 MPH as reported by a remote sensor unit at Government Peak. Mojave Airport Tower had gusts to 40Kts on the 16th.

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 Mar 16, 9:50 AM PST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 16, 9:50 AM PST, 2 hours 10 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
950 AM PST SAT MAR 16 2002

HANFORD DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR SHOWS SHOWERS CONTINUING OVER THE
SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA THISD MORNING. SPOTTER REPORTS SHOW SNOW HAS
FALLEN AS FAR SOUTH AS THE KERN COUNTY SIERRA NEVADA...WITH 1 INCH
OF NEW SNOW AT GRANITE STATION.

SATELLITE LOOPS SHOW VORTICITY LOBES CONTINUING TO DROP DOWN THE
TROUGH...WITH ONE DIVING AROUND THE BASE OF THE TROUGH INTO SAN
BERNADINO COUNTY...AND THE NEXT PRESENTLY OVER OREGON AND DROPPING
INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. BETWEEN THE VORTICITIES...WILL SEE SOME
SUBSIDENCE TODAY...AND COMBINED WITH STRONG LOW-LEVEL WINDS /THE 12Z
KVBG SOUNDING HAD 30-40 KT NORTHWEST WINDS FROM 4000 FEET THROUGH
15000 FEET...INCREASING TO 60-80 KT BETWEEN 15-25 KFT/...COULD SEE
GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS PULLED DOWN INTO THE MOUNTAIN PASSES.

12Z MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE
WESTERN U.S. WITH A LOW NEAR PUGET SOUND. THE LOW IS FORECAST TO
SLOWLY DROP SOUTHEAST...TO THE CENTRAL OREGON/WASHINGTON BORDER...BY
24 HOURS...THEN INTO THE GREAT BASIN BY 48 HOURS AS THE TROUGH
SLIDES EASTWARD AND HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS BUILDING OFFSHORE. COULD
SEE SOME INSTABILITY SHOWERS ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON...
ESPECIALLY IF THERE ARE SUFFICIENT BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS FOR GOOD
SOLAR HEATING. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION ARRIVES TONIGHT AS THE
NEXT VORTICITY MOVES INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. LOW SNOW LEVELS
ALREADY BEING REPORTED FROM SPOTTERS CONFIRMS THIS IS A VERY COLD
AIRMASS AND FORECAST SNOW LEVELS LOOK ON TRACK IN THE NORTH...BUT
MAY NEED TO BE LOWERED IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS. /GRANITE
STATION...WHICH RECEIVED SNOW OVERNIGHT...IS ABOUT 1500 FEET./ WITH
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW SNOW LEVELS...WILL LIKELY UPGRADE THE WINTER
STORM WATCH TO A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
NORTH OF KERN COUNTY. WILL DECIDE BETWEEN A WINTER STORM WARNING OR
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AFTER TODAY/S
COORDINATION CALLS.

POPS 457 BFL 236 YNP 7++. SANGER

.HNX...WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...NORTH OF
       KERN COUNTY...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY.
    ...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS FOR
       THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When
March 16, 12:00 PM PST to March 18, 4:01 AM PST
Where
Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When
March 16, 2:00 PM PST to March 18, 4:01 AM PST
Where
Indian Wells Vly 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: 5287310, 5287309.