Name: Strong Wind in California, June 23, 2003
Start: 2003-06-23T15:40
End: 2003-06-23T23:00
Location: California

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.

Gusty wind swept over the Kern County Mountains and Deserts on the evening of the 23rd.

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 Jun 23, 1:02 PM PST, 2 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 23, 1:02 PM PST, 2 hours 38 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
202 PM PDT MON JUN 23 2003

WINDS WILL AGAIN BE THE MAIN CONCERN FOR TONIGHTS FORECAST. THE
MID/UPPER LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN US IS PROGGED TO
GENERALLY REMAIN IN PLACE TONIGHT WHILE A SHORTWAVE AND SPEED MAX
ROTATE THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THE TROUGH. SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT
IS FORECAST TO TIGHTEN UP...WITH SFO-LAS GRADIENT...CURRENTLY NEAR
11 MB...INCREASING TO AROUND 13 MB THIS EVENING. SUSTAINED WINDS IN
THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS ARE CURRENTLY WELL BELOW WAD
CRITERIA...THOUGH GUSTS ARE NEAR THE THRESHOLD. WILL HAVE TO
CONSIDER ISSUING AN ADVISORY FOR THIS EVENING...THOUGH HOLDING OFF
AT THIS TIME.

OTHERWISE...CONDITIONS OVER THE DISTRICT SHOULD REMAIN
UNSPECTACULAR. TEMPERATURES ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING NEAR TO A FEW
DEGREES BELOW READINGS 24 HOURS AGO. SKIES ARE MOSTLY SUNNY EXCEPT
FOR PATCHES OF HIGH CLOUDS STREAMING SOUTHEAST OVERHEAD...AND SOME
CUMULUS BUILDUPS OVER THE SIERRAS. THE UPPER TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO
BEGIN LIFTING OUT TUESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BRIDGES ACROSS THE AREA.
TEMPERATURES WILL PERSIST A BIT BELOW NORMAL THROUGH TUESDAY...THEN
BEGIN A WARMING TREND BY WEDNESDAY AS THE HIGH BUILDS IN. MESOETA
DEVELOPS ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY OVER OUR NORTHERN SIERRAS
TO SUGGEST SOME SHRA/TSRA THIS EVENING...BUT BEST CHANCES ARE NORTH
AND EAST OF OUR AREA.  FORECAST WILL REMAIN POPLESS.

FOR FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...HIGH PRESSURE SUBSIDENCE WILL SQUELCH
CLOUD DEVELOPMENT AND LEAD TO SEASONALLY WARM CONDITIONS...WITH
HIGHS NEAR 100F AT MANY VALLEY LOCATIONS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. AN
UPPER LOW IN THE GULF OF ALASKA IS PROGGED TO DROP SOUTH ACROSS THE
DISTRICT SATURDAY...ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES AT THE SURFACE WILL CHANGE
LITTLE DUE TO THE RESIDENT WARM AIRMASS STILL IN PLACE. AIRMASS ALOFT
SHOULD COOL SUFFICIENTLY TO LOWER MAX/S SLIGHTLY FOR SUNDAY AND
MONDAY THOUGH.

.HNX...NONE.

JEB/BENZTIEN

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 23, 4:30 AM PST, 11 hours 10 minutes before

CAZ089>099-241230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
530 AM PDT MON JUN 23 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.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.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

Event by event

3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: June 23, 3:40 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: June 23, 3:40 PM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured: 39 kt (45 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: June 23, 3:40 PM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 30 kt (35 mph) measured sustained
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

More

Every storm in California in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in California, June 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: 5359488, 5359489, 5359490.