Strong Wind in California, December 11 to 12, 2003

Name: Strong Wind in California, December 11 to 12, 2003
Start: 2003-12-11T08:13
End: 2003-12-12T04:00
Location: California

December 11 to 12, 2003 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Post-frontal conditions over the Kern County Mountains and Deserts supported gusty northwest wind. Speeds were generally 45 to 55 MPH in many locations with just a few isolated higher gusts as reported from meso-net stations.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $3,000
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.

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 Dec 11, 4:34 AM PST, 3 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 11, 4:34 AM PST, 3 hours 39 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
434 AM PST THU DEC 11 2003

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...NEXT SHORTWAVE
TROUGH DROPPING SOUTHEAST OVER CALIFORNIA HAS BROUGHT SOME MODERATE
RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOWS TO THE DISTRICT OVERNIGHT. ACTIVITY
HAS CLEARED MERCED AND MADERA AREAS AS IT CONTINUES TO SLIDE
SOUTHEAST. SOME LOCATIONS HAVE RECEIVED OVER HALF AN INCH OF
RAINFALL...MAINLY ALONG THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS FROM MERCED TO FRESNO.
RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW WAS EARLIER REPORTED AT AROUND 3300 FEET NEAR
MARIPOSA. PRECIPITATION SHOULD CONTINUE TO END FROM THE NORTH DURING
THE DAY TODAY AS THE SYSTEM MOVES SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA. TOTAL
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH ADVISORY CRITERIA OVER THE
SIERRA NORTH OF KINGS CANYON BEFORE TAPERING OFF THIS MORNING...THUS
CONTINUING WSW FOR TODAY. SNOW WILL INCREASE OVER TULARE AND KERN
COUNTY MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING AS THE FLOW BECOMES MORE
OROGRAPHICALLY FAVORABLE IN THESE AREAS...BEFORE ENDING LATER TODAY
AS THE SYSTEM MOVES OUT. TOTAL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR OR AT
SNOW ADVISORY CRITERIA...AND THE WSW CONTINUES FOR THESE AREAS ALSO.

WEAK RIDGING SHOULD BEGIN TONIGHT BEHIND THE DEPARTING SYSTEM...WITH
THE NEXT TROUGH NEARING THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST BY SATURDAY
NIGHT. THIS SHOULD BRING DRIER WEATHER THROUGH SATURDAY...WITH NEAR
NORMAL TEMPERATURES...AND AREAS OF FOG IN THE VALLEY.

.LONG TERM...FOR SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS
CONTINUE TO BE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN BRINGING THE NEXT PACIFIC
FRONTAL SYSTEM ACROSS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA ON SUNDAY...WITH RIDGING
FOLLOWING ON MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. RELATIVELY COLD AIR IS
PROJECTED TO MOVE IN WITH AND BEHIND THE SUNDAY SYSTEM. COLDER
MOUNTAINS VALLEYS FROM YOSEMITE TO FRAZIER PARK SHOULD REALLY
RADIATE OUT ON THESE MORNINGS FOR SOME RATHER CHILLY LOWS. FOR THE
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...COLDEST MORNING SHOULD BE TUESDAY WITH THE
LATEST MOS GUIDANCE SUGGESTING SOME FREEZING MORNING LOWS...BUT
WARMING AFTERNOONS.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
    ...SNOW ADVISORY THIS MORNING FOR THE SOUTHERN
       SIERRA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON...
    ...SNOW ADVISORY TODAY FOR THE TULARE AND KERN COUNTY
       MOUNTAINS...

&&

JEB/BEAN

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 10, 9:20 PM PST, 10 hours 53 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
920 PM PST WED DEC 10 2003

CAZ096-111300-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
920 PM PST WED DEC 10 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER
TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER
DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THURSDAY. PLEASE REFER
TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER
DETAILS.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

CAZ095-097-111300-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
920 PM PST WED DEC 10 2003

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THURSDAY. PLEASE REFER
TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER
DETAILS.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

CAZ089>094-098-099-111300-
EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
920 PM PST WED DEC 10 2003

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

Event by event

3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: December 11, 8:13 AM PST to 7:00 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured: 68 kt (78 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: December 11, 11:45 AM PST to 7:00 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: December 11, 2:44 PM PST to December 12, 4:00 AM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 49 kt (56 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in California, December 2003

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: 5330701, 5330702, 5330700.