Strong Wind in California, December 29, 2003

Name: Strong Wind in California, December 29, 2003
Start: 2003-12-29T17:03
End: 2003-12-29T22:00
Location: California

December 29, 2003 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Prefrontal southeast wind swept through the Central San Joaquin Valley and adjacent foothill areas the evening of the 29th.

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.

Prefrontal southeast wind swept through the Central San Joaquin Valley and adjacent foothill areas the evening of the 29th.

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 29, 3:00 PM PST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 29, 3:00 PM PST, 2 hours 3 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
300 PM PST MON DEC 29 2003

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...PACIFIC STORM
SYSTEM DROPPING SOUTH ALONG THE CALIFORNIA COAST WILL CONTINUE TO
SPREAD RAIN AND HIGH ELEVATION SNOW ACROSS THE DISTRICT OVERNIGHT. A
GOOD MOISTURE FETCH WITH THE SLOW MOVING STORM IS EXPECTED TO
PRODUCE FAIRLY HEAVY SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. CURRENT
REPORTS SUGGEST SNOW IS FALLING AS LOW AS 3500 FEET IN MARIPOSA
COUNTY. WILL CONTINUE THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SIERRA
TONIGHT AND UPGRADE THE KERN MOUNTAINS TO A WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH
TOMORROW. SOME OF THE HEAVIER RAIN MAY CAUSE NUISANCE FLOODING IN
SUSCEPTIBLE AREAS BUT IT SHOULD BE VERY LOCALIZED. AS THE SYSTEM
CONTINUES TO SAG SOUTH AND THEN TRACK EAST ACROSS NORTHERN MEXICO BY
WEDNESDAY...PRECIPITATION SHOULD COME TO AN END OVER THE AREA. GFS
SUGGESTS NEXT SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO SPREAD PRECIPITATION CHANCES
SOUTHWARD OVER THE AREA BY THURSDAY. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO
RUN NEAR CLIMO CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD.

.LONG TERM...FOR THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS
IN FAIR AGREEMENT FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD. ANOTHER PACIFIC STORM
SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA THURSDAY
NIGHT AND FRIDAY. GFS INDICATES THE DEEPER MOISTURE ALONG A COLD
FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY THURSDAY NIGHT REACHING
THE TEHACHAPIS ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON. EXPECT SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS
FRIDAY NIGHT AS STRONG NW FLOW COMBINES WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE.
MOST OF THE EXTENDED MODELS INDICATE A LARGE UPPER TROUGH WILL
REMAIN OVER THE WESTERN U.S...RESULTING IN A FAST PROGRESSIVE
PATTERN FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD. WILL MAINTAIN A SLIGHT RISK OF
PRECIPITATION ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWA SINCE
TIMING INDIVIDUAL IMPULSES WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE
     SOUTHERN SIERRA TONIGHT FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO THE KERN
     COUNTY LINE...
  ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS TONIGHT AND
     TUESDAY...

&&

JEB/MV

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 29, 5:00 PM PST, 3 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
500 PM PST MON DEC 29 2003

CAZ095-301300-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
500 PM PST MON DEC 29 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO AWIPS
HEADER /SFOWSWHNX/ OR WMO HEADER /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES THROUGH TOMORROW. PLEASE REFER TO
AWIPS HEADER /SFOWSWHNX/ OR WMO HEADER /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER
DETAILS.

TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL REACH THE 10 TO 15 INCH RANGE OVER THE
HIGHEST PEAKS...WITH 6 TO 10 INCHES POSSIBLE ABOVE 5500 FEET.
GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS 25 TO 40 MPH WILL ACCOMPANY THE SNOWFALL OVER
HIGHER RIDGES...RESULTING IN CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF
SNOW.

CAZ089>094-098-099-301300-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
500 PM PST MON DEC 29 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY...THE MARIPOSA, MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS...
AND THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

CAZ096-097-301300-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
500 PM PST MON DEC 29 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO
AWIPS HEADER /SFOWSWHNX/ OR WMO HEADER /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER
DETAILS.

TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL AVERAGE 1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE 8000
FEET...WITH 8 TO 12 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION AT AND ABOVE 5000 FEET.
GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS 25 TO 40 MPH WILL ACCOMPANY THE SNOWFALL OVER
HIGHER RIDGES...RESULTING IN CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF
SNOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

Event by event

3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, S Sierra Foothills

When: December 29, 5:03 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: S Sierra Foothills forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Strong Wind, E Central S.J. Valley

When: December 29, 5:13 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 31 kt (36 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, W Central S.J. Valley

When: December 29, 6:09 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 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: 5332368, 5332367, 5332366.