High Wind in California, March 13, 2003

Name: High Wind in California, March 13, 2003
Start: 2003-03-13T02:00
End: 2003-03-13T19:00
Location: California

March 13, 2003 · NWS EKA · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The maximum wind gust on the coast was 58 knots at Trinidad Head while the 74 knot maximum gust was measured at the Cooskie Mountain RAWS.

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.

The maximum wind gust on the coast was 58 knots at Trinidad Head while the 74 knot maximum gust was measured at the Cooskie Mountain RAWS.

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 Mar 12, 8:30 PM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 12, 8:30 PM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes before

NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
830 PM PST WED MAR 12 2003

NO UPDATES ANTICIPATED THIS EVENING...LOW LEVEL SOUTHERLY FLOW WAS
ACCELERATING NEAR SHORE AS WELL AS OVER THE COASTAL RANGE THIS
EVENING WITH PEAK GUSTS 31KT AT KCEC AND 36KT OVER THE CAPE WITH
NEAR SHORE BUOYS APPROACHING GALE FORCE. WILL CONTINUE WITH HIGH
WIND WARNING AS PICTURES FROM SPACE INDICATED A DEEPENING WAVE
APPROACHING 40/130 THIS EVENING. THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO
ACCELARATE AS THE SYSTEM MOVES NORTHEAST TOWARDS THE PAC NW. SURFACE
BOUNDARY EXTENDING ALONG 130W WILL EVENTUALLY MOVE ASHORE TOMORROW
MORNING AND RAIN RATES WILL INCREASE THEN. BHX INDICATED SCATTERED
WEAK ECHOES NEAR SHORE AND SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN WILL OCCUR OVER THE
NORTH HALF OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT.

POPS CEC 8++6 ACV/EKA 8++6 UKI 4996

.EKA...HIGH WIND WARNING DEL NORTE AND HUMBOLDT COUNTIES TONIGHT AND
       THURSDAY.
    ...WIND ADVISORY MENDOCINO COAST TONIGHT AND THURSDAY.
    ...GALE WARNING PT ST GEORGE TO PT ARENA OUT 60NM TONIGHT AND
       THURSDAY.
    ...HIGH SURF ADVISORY REDWOOD AND MENDOCINO COAST THURSDAY NIGHT.

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 12, 5:17 AM PST, 20 hours 43 minutes before

CAZ001>004-076-131315-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
517 AM PST WED MAR 12 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF STRONG PACIFIC STORMS WILL AFFECT NORTHWEST
CALIFORNIA LATE TODAY. SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON OVER
THE COASTAL WATERS. SEE SFOMWSEKA FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED OVER HUMBOLDT AND DEL NORTE COUNTIES AND THE
COASTAL REGIONS OF MENDOCINO COUNTY BEGINNING THURSDAY MORNING AND
CONTINUING THOUGH THE AFTERNOON. HIGH WINDS MAY ONCE AGAIN REACH
WARNING LEVELS LATE FRIDAY THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. HIGH SURF
CONDITIONS ARE ANTICIPATED OVER THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTAL
WATERS STARTING THURSDAY. THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR
BRINGING HEAVY RAIN THROUGH SATURDAY...AND WILL RESULT IN THE RAPID
RISING OF AREA RIVERS. SEE SFONPWEKA...SFOMWSEKA...AND SFOESFEKA FOR
DETAILS.

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

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Coast Interior

When: March 13, 2:00 AM PST to 7:00 PM PST
Where: North Coast Interior forecast zone
Measured: 74 kt (85 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Redwood Coast

When: March 13, 3:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where: Redwood Coast forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in California, March 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: 5345569, 5345568.