California, 2002

High Wind in California, March 9, 2002

March 9, 2002 · NWS REV · 1 event in 1 county or zone

, a spotter reported sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts to 60 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
1

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 REV wrote it up.

At Mono Lake, CA., a spotter reported sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts to 60 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 Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 9, 2:20 PM PST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 2:20 PM PST, 2 hours 20 minutes before
WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
220 PM PST SAT MAR 9 2002

THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER TROUGH IS PUSHING ITS WAY
INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. TIMING OF PRECIPITATION MOVING INTO
WESTERN LASSEN COUNTY EARLY THIS EVENING AND THE GREATER LAKE TAHOE
REGION LATER IN THE EVENING. MODEL QPFS SHOWING HEAVIEST
PRECIPITATION STAYING WEST OF THE SIERRA CREST TONIGHT AND SUNDAY.
WILL UPDATE WATCH INTO AN ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. FRONTAL
BOUNDARY MOVES INTO WESTERN NEVADA SUNDAY MORNING WITH PRECIPITATION
TAPERING OFF TO SCATTERED SHOWERS BY AFTERNOON. SNOW LEVELS START AT
5000 FEET NORTH TO 6000 FEET SOUTH TONIGHT AND DROP TO 4500-5000
FEET BY SUNDAY MORNING. WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL BE GUSTY
THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.  TROUGH PUSHES QUICKLY TO THE EAST
SUNDAY NIGHT WITH SHORTWAVE RIDGING FOR MONDAY KEEPING CONDITIONS
DRY. BY TUESDAY...SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH ZONAL FLOW INTO THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL BRING LOW CHANCE POPS ACROSS MAINLY NORTHERN
ZONES FOR TUESDAY.

IN THE EXTENDED...THE LONG RANGE MODELS AND MODEL ENSEMBLES DEVELOP
A HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE IN THE GULF OF ALASKA...WHICH RESULTS IN A
COLD TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN U.S.  FROM THERE THE MODELS DIFFER IN
THE DETAILS.  THE MRF IS CONSISTENT IN DEVELOPING A COLD UPPER LOW
OVER NEVADA WITH THE UPSTREAM RIDGE TILTING INTO B.C.  THE EURO...
NOGAPS AND UK SHOW AN UPPER LOW OR SHORT WAVE DROPPING SOUTH FROM
B.C. ABOUT THAT TIME.  THE AVN IS USED INITIALLY FOR WEDNESDAY WITH
THE LAST TROUGH UNDER THE ALASKAN BLOCK BEING DRIVEN INTO THE GREAT
BASIN BY NORTHERLY FLOW DOWN THE EAST SIDE OF THE DEVELOPING RIDGE.
FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...THE MRF IS USED TO BRING A MUCH COLDER
AIRMASS AND A CHANCE OF SNOW OR SNOW SHOWERS TO THE AREA WITH LITTLE
DETAIL.  TEMPERATURES ARE WELL BELOW CURRENT GUIDANCE AS THICKNESS
FALLS NEAR 522 BY FRIDAY.  DIFFERING MODEL SOLUTIONS BY SATURDAY
SUGGEST LESS CONFIDENCE BUT WITH A COLD TROUGH STILL IN THE AREA A
SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS IS INDICATED WITH CONTINUED COLD
TEMPERATURES.

.REV...SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND SUNDAY CAZ071 ABOVE 5000
       FEET
       SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND SUNDAY CAZ072-NVZ002 ABOVE 7000 FEET

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Mono

When
March 9, 4:40 PM PST
Where
Mono forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.939, -118.887 (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

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: 5286132.