Strong Wind in California, December 9 to 10, 2003

Name: Strong Wind in California, December 9 to 10, 2003
Start: 2003-12-09T20:40
End: 2003-12-10T15:00
Location: California

December 9 to 10, 2003 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $19,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

Gusty southeast wind associated with a rain band swept through northern Kings County and into central Fresno County during the mid-evening hours of the 9th. Minor roof damage occurred in Kings County around 2040 PST and 7 weakened power poles were downed in West Fresno along Highway 99 with the sharp gusts. Over 5000 local utility company customers were without power after 2100 hours on the 9th due to the wind damage. In the Southern Sierra Foothills and Tulare County Foothills some tree limbs were broken as speeds reached 45 knots and 30 knots, respectively. In the higher terrain of the Tulare County Mountains, a mesonet site had sustained wind of 29 knots with an isolated gust of 51 knots at 1121 PST on the 10th.

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 9, 2:15 PM PST, 6 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 9, 2:15 PM PST, 6 hours 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
215 PM PST TUE DEC 9 2003

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...AS EXPECTED...
RAIN HAS BEEN VERY SLOW TO MOVE SOUTHEAST WITH RADAR FROM MONTEREY
SHOWING THE LEADING EDGE NEARING SALINAS. WITH CURRENT TIMING...
EXPECT THE RAIN TO REACH THE SAN LUIS RESERVOIR AREA BY AROUND
SUNSET AND MERCED BY 600 PM. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS A VERY WELL
DEFINED BAROCLINIC BAND STRETCHING FROM NEAR UKIAH TO AROUND 250
MILES WEST OF POINT CONCEPTION. WITH WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING
PARENT LOW CENTER MOVING PRETTY MUCH DUE EAST ALONG 40N AND MODELS
CONTINUING TO PROJECT AN EASTWARD TRANSLATION OVERNIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY...EXPECT MOST PRECIPITATION WILL FALL OVER THE NORTHERN
PARTS OF THE AREA...WITH LITTLE TO NO PRECIPITATION FOR KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS WITH THIS FIRST SYSTEM. MODEL QPF SUGGESTS
AROUND ONE FOOT OF SNOW FOR THE YOSEMITE AREA AND WILL UPGRADE THE
WINTER STORM WATCH TO A WARNING FOR TONGIHT AND WEDNESDAY. LOOKS
LIKE BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE EAST
OF THE SIERRA AND THIS SHOULD SHUT OFF THE WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW
FOR A LITTLE WHILE. LATEST MODELS BRING A SECONDARY SYSTEM INTO
POINT CONCEPTION AND ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ON THURSDAY. THIS
TRACK SHOULD GIVE KERN COUNTY THE BEST SHOT AT RAIN AND MOUNTAIN
SNOW...WITH LESSER AMOUNTS TO THE NORTH. THIS SYSTEM CLEARS EAST OF
THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY FOR DRY WEATHER AND HIGH PRESSURE.

.LONG TERM...FOR SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...PROGRESSIVE PATTERN
CONTINUES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. TIMING OF NEXT STORM SYSTEM PROGGED
BY MEDIUM RANGE MODELS TO BRING CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION TO CWFA SAT
EVENING INTO LATE SUNDAY. STORM TRACK EXPECTED TO BE SIMILAR TO
PREVIOUS SYSTEM MOVING RAPIDLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR BEFORE MOVING INTO ARIZONA. MONDAY AND TUESDAY SHOULD BE
DRY WITH H5 RIDGE FORMING OVER THE STATE.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON.

&&

DUDLEY/MENDENHALL

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 9, 5:00 AM PST, 15 hours 40 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
500 AM PST TUE DEC 9 2003

CAZ096-091300-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
500 AM PST TUE DEC 9 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR
DETAILS.

A PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TONIGHT
AND WEDNESDAY...BRINGING THE THREAT OF HEAVY SNOW TO THE SOUTHERN
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON. AT THIS TIME...THE
HEAVIEST SNOW IS LIKELY IN THE YOSEMITE AREA...WHERE ELEVATIONS ABOVE
6000 FEET COULD RECEIVE 12 TO 16 INCHES OF SNOW BY LATE WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

CAZ089>095-097>099-091300-
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-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
500 AM PST TUE DEC 9 2003

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

Event by event

5 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Sw S.J. Valley

When: December 9, 8:40 PM PST to 9:05 PM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, E Central S.J. Valley

When: December 9, 8:45 PM PST to 9:12 PM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, S Sierra Foothills

When: December 9, 8:45 PM PST to December 10, 4:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Foothills forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Strong Wind, Tulare Cty Foothills

When: December 9, 9:25 PM PST to December 10, 4:00 AM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Foothills forecast zone
Measured: 30 kt (35 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: December 10, 8:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 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: 5331858, 5331857, 5331859, 5331860, 5331861.