High Wind in California, November 7, 2002

Name: High Wind in California, November 7, 2002
Start: 2002-11-07T17:00
End: 2002-11-07T23:00
Location: California

November 7, 2002 · NWS EKA · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

High winds blew numerous trees, branches and power lines down along the coast. Two trees landed on a house in Fort Bragg causing minor damage.

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 EKA wrote it up.

High winds blew numerous trees, branches and power lines down along the coast. Two trees landed on a house in Fort Bragg causing minor damage.

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 Eureka, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 7, 3:30 PM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 7, 3:30 PM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
330 PM PST THU NOV 7 2002

AFTERNOON SATELLITE PICS FROM SPACE SHOWING STRENGTHENING STORM
SYSTEM ON THE COAST WITH MANY POSITIVE STRIKES ACROSS THE COASTAL
REGION.  THIS WILL BE THE STRONGEST WAVE IN THE SERIES OF WAVES THAT
WILL MOVE THROUGH DURING THE REST OF THIS WEEK.  AS THIS WAVE MOVES
THROUGH...UPPER PATTERN BECOMES MORE ZONAL AND COOLER AIR FROM UP
NORTH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FRIDAY NIGHT.  AS OF THIS
AFTERNOON...ALL OF THE INTERIOR RAWS SITES IN THE FORECAST AREA WERE
INDICATING TEMPS ABOUT A DOZEN OR SO DEGREES ABOVE FREEZING.  MODELS
SOLUTIONS POINTING TOWARD FREEZING LEVELS FRIDAY NIGHT ANYWHERE FROM
4500 TO NEAR 6000 FT.  ETA SEEMS TO BE HANDLING THE SITUATION
BETTER AND WITH THICKNESSES FALLING ON FRIDAY NIGHT...WILL GO WITH
THE ETA MODEL.  WILL MENTION SNOW LEVELS DOWN TO AROUND 5000 FT ON
FRIDAY NIGHT.  FAST ZONAL FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY.
RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO BUILD IN DURING THE DAY ON
SUNDAY. WILL KEEP MENTION OF MORNING CHANCE FOR SHRA OVER ALL CWA.
AVN DEPICTING A WARM FRONT MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST LATE
SUNDAY/MONDAY MORNING AND WILL KEEP CHANCE FOR RAIN MAINLY NORTH OF
299 AND DOWN TO EUREKA.  MONDAY...RIDGE AXIS TO PASS THROUGH THE
CWFA AND ANOTHER TROUGH WILL APPROACH THE AREA TUESDAY.

PRELIMINARY POPS:

CEC  100  90  80  90
ACV  100  90  80  80
EKA  100  90  80  80
UKI  100  90  80  70

.EKA...GLW PT ST GEORGE TO PT ARENA OUT 60NM.
    ...HIGH SURF ADVISORY CAZ001-CAZ002-PZZ450-PZZ455.
    ...WIND ADVISORY CAZ001-CAZ002-CAZ003.

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 7, 5:45 AM PST, 11 hours 15 minutes before

CAZ001>004-076-080000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
545 AM PST THU NOV 7 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE...

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE REDWOOD COAST...NORTH
COAST INTERIOR...AND THE MENDOCINO COAST THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING. SEE SFONPWEKA FOR DETAILS. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY CONTINUES IN
EFFECT FOR THE REDWOOD COAST...MENDOCINO COAST...AND ADJACENT COASTAL
WATERS THROUGH TONIGHT. SEE SFOMWSEKA FOR DETAILS.

.INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE REDWOOD
COAST...MENDOCINO COAST...AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS THROUGH SUNDAY
NIGHT. REFER TO SFOMWSEKA FOR DETAILS.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Nov 7, 4:04 PM PST, 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CALIFORNIA
448 PM PST THU NOV 7 2002

TIME (PST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

920 AM     HONEYDEW                  CA   WIND DAMAGE
11/07/02   Humboldt                       BROKEN TREE LIMBS.  3/4 INCH THICK.

1000 AM    GUALALA                   CA   WIND DAMAGE
11/07/02   Mendocino                      BROKEN TREE LIMBS.  10 INCH LIMB
                                          DOWN.

Local storm report, Nov 7, 4:48 PM PST, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CALIFORNIA
448 PM PST THU NOV 7 2002

TIME (PST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

920 AM     HONEYDEW                  CA   WIND DAMAGE
11/07/02   Humboldt                       BROKEN TREE LIMBS.  3/4 INCH THICK.

1000 AM    GUALALA                   CA   WIND DAMAGE
11/07/02   Mendocino                      BROKEN TREE LIMBS.  10 INCH LIMB
                                          DOWN.

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Redwood Coast

When: November 7, 5:00 PM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: Redwood Coast forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Mendocino Coast

When: November 7, 5:00 PM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: Mendocino Coast forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

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, November 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: 5323419, 5323420.