California, 2002

High Wind in California, May 7 to 8, 2002

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

In a strong northwest flow sustained wind of 45 MPH was reported in the Tehachapi Pass area of the Kern Mountains with gusts to 45 MPH in the Indian Wells Valley. At the Mojave Airport wind speeds gusted briefly to 75 knots with some blowing sand in the area.

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.

In a strong northwest flow sustained wind of 45 MPH was reported in the Tehachapi Pass area of the Kern Mountains with gusts to 45 MPH in the Indian Wells Valley. At the Mojave Airport wind speeds gusted briefly to 75 knots with some blowing sand in the area.

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 May 7, 8:15 AM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 7, 8:15 AM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
915 AM PDT TUE MAY 7 2002

STRONG WEST WINDS CONTINUE OVER THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND
DESERTS THIS MORNING...WITH GUSTS TO 63 MPH RECORDED EARLIER AT
INDIAN WELLS CANYON. SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS OVER CENTRAL
CALIFOENIA REMAIN TIGHT...WITH 15Z READINGS OF 11.2 MB FOR SAN
FRANCISCO-LAS VEGAS...AND 8.7 MB FOR LOS ANGELES-TONOPAH.

SATELLITE LOOPS SHOW A SERIES OF SHORT-WAVES CONTINUING TO DROP INTO
THE MEAN TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. ONE
SHORT-WAVE IS PASSING THROUGH CALIFORNIA AT THIS TIME...WITH THE
TROUGH AXIS OVER THE NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. THE NEXT SHORT-
WAVE IS OVER SOUTHERN WASHINGTON/NORTHERN OREGON...WITH ANOTHER OVER
THE ALASKAN PANHANDLE. THESE SHORT-WAVES WILL KEEP THE MEAN TROUGH
IN PLACE...AND SUSTAIN UPPER-LEVEL SUPPORT FOR THE MOUNTAIN/DESERT
WINDS.

THE 12Z ETA AND NGM ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE MEAN TROUGH PUSHING
INLAND DURING THE DAY...AS THE ALASKA PANHANDLE SHORT-WAVE DEEPENS
INTO A SIGNIFICANT TROUGH THAT MOVES INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BY
12Z THURSDAY. WILL SEE A FEW DEGREES WARMING WEDNESDAY WITH A
50-METER 500-MB HEIGHT RECOVERY BETWEEN THE TROUGHS. HEIGHTS ARE
FORECAST TO DROP 20-30 METERS THURSDAY WITH THE SECOND TROUGH.

FORECAST CONCERN THIS MORNING...OTHER THAN THE WINDS OVER THE HERN
COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS...IS VALLEY TEMPERATURES TODAY. AT
16Z...TEMPERATURES WERE DOWN 4-7 DEGREES. THIS IS A LITTLE LESS
COOLING THAN THE MORNING FORECAST HAS. ALOFT...THE PROFILERS AT
VISALIA AND LOST HILLS SHOW 4 DEGREES C COOLING AT 850-MB FROM THE
MARINE AIR INTRUSION LAST NIGHT. WINDS AT TRAVIS AFB ARE FROM THE
WEST AT 13 KTS...INDICATING THAT THE MARINE AIR PUSH HAS ENDED.
THEREFORE...VALLEY TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL DEPEND ON HOW RAPIDLY THE
LOW-LEVEL MARINE AIR ALREADY IN THE VALLEY MIXES OUT. WILL MONITOR
TRENDS THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS AND UPDATE IF NECESSARY.
ALL POPS ZERO. SANGER

.HNX...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10:00 PM FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND
       DESERTS.

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When
May 7, 11:00 AM PST to May 8, 3:00 AM PST
Where
Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When
May 7, 11:46 AM PST to May 8, 3:00 AM PST
Where
Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When
May 7, 3:45 PM PST to May 8, 3:00 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, May 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: 5291044, 5291046, 5291045.