High Wind in California, March 13, 2003

Name: High Wind in California, March 13, 2003
Start: 2003-03-13T15:47
End: 2003-03-13T22:11
Location: California

March 13, 2003 · NWS REV · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong cold front approaching from the Pacific brought strong and gusty southwest winds to the Sierra Nevada and northeast California during the afternoon and evening of March 13th. h.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 REV wrote it up.

A strong cold front approaching from the Pacific brought strong and gusty southwest winds to the Sierra Nevada and northeast California during the afternoon and evening of March 13th. Typically, strongest gusts were over the Sierra crest where a gust to 105 m.p.h. was reported at the top of Mammoth Mountain. No damage was reported.

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 Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 13, 2:30 PM PST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 13, 2:30 PM PST, 1 hour 17 minutes before

WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
230 PM PST THU MAR 13 2003

SATELLITE LOOPS DEPICT SYSTEM OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST RAPIDLY
DEVELOPING...WITH STRONG UPPER JET SUPPORT.  RADAR SHOWS BAND OF
PRECIP IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MOVING EAST.  EXPECT PRECIP TO REACH
THE SIERRA BY 10PM.  WINDS ARE THE MAIN CONCERN FOR THIS
EVENING...SENSOR GUSTS OVER THE CREST NEAR 80 MPH...AND SPOTTER
REPORTS OF GUSTS ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE SIERRA NEAR 60 MPH.
WILL EXTEND THE THE HIGH WIND WARNING PAST MIDNIGHT WITH THE SLOW
APPROACH OF THE SYSTEM OFFSHORE.  WINDS WILL PICK UP TO NEAR
ADVISORY LEVELS OVER LASSEN AND NORTHERN WASHOE ON FRIDAY.

FIRST SYSTEM BRINGS PRECIPITATION TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY YIELDING
OVER 12 INCHES OF SNOW FROM LAKE TAHOE NORTHWARD ABOVE 6000 FEET.
LESSER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY ALONG THE HIGH
SIERRA OF MONO COUNTY.  SECOND AND MUCH STRONGER SYSTEM MOVES IN
LATE FRIDAY NIGHT/EARLY SATURDAY MORNING WITH THE FORECAST UNDER THE
THE LEFT FRONT QUAD OF A 160KT+ JET.  SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ABOVE 6000
FEET OF 1 TO 3 FEET ARE EXPECTED FROM LAKE TAHOE SOUTHWARD...WITH 1
TO 2 FEET FOR LASSEN COUNTY.

TROUGH AXIS NEARS WESTERN NEVADA LATE SATURDAY AND LOWERS SNOW LEVEL
TO MOST VALLEY FLOORS ON SUNDAY MORNING.  EXPECT SHOWERS ON
SUNDAY WITH THE MOIST WESTERLY FLOW AND COOL CYCLONIC FLOW
OVERHEAD...POSSIBLY ENOUGH TO PRODUCE AN INCH OF SNOW ON VALLEY
FLOORS.  BRONG

IN THE EXTENDED...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...DIFFERENCES EXIST IN THE
DETAILS OF THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS BUT ALL ARE ADVERTISING A
CONTINUATION OF A UNSETTLED PROGRESSIVE PATTERN THROUGH THE
EXTENDED. A WEAK SHORTWAVE PUSHING THROUGH THE NORTHERN BRANCH OF
THE JET WILL CAUSE A CONTINUING CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS ON MONDAY.
FROM THERE...THE DETAILS FROM THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS DIFFER. THE
GFS ADVERTISES A SPLIT FLOW SCENARIO WITH A SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE
AREA LATE TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE SOUTHERN BRANCH OF
THE JET. ANOTHER SYSTEM FOLLOWS A MORE SOUTHEASTERLY TRACK MOVING
DOWN THE CALIFORNIA COAST BY LATE WEDNESDAY. THE ECMWF BUILDS A
SHORTWAVE RIDGE IN ON TUESDAY AND BRINGS A MORE CONSOLIDATED SYSTEM
INTO THE WEST COAST ON WEDNESDAY. THE NOGAPS APPEARS CLOSER TO THE
ECMWF SOLUTION WHILE THE CANADIAN LEANS MORE TO A GFS TYPE SOLUTION.
WITH THE UNCERTAINTY...HAVE PUT CHC/SLGT CHC POPS FOR THE ENTIRE
EXTENDED PERIOD. THE UNSETTLED PATTERN SHOULD KEEP TEMPERATURES
BELOW NORMAL.

.REV...HIGH WIND WARNING ALL ZONES THROUGH TONIGHT.
    ...WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 6000 FEET FOR CAZ071-072-NV002
       THROUGH SATURDAY.
    ...SNOW ADVISORY CAZ073 ABOVE 7000 FEET FOR LATE TONIGHT AND
       FRIDAY.
    ...WINTER STORM WARNING CAZ073 ABOVE 6000 FEET FOR SATURDAY.

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 13, 6:20 AM PST, 9 hours 27 minutes before

CAZ070>073-NVZ001>005-141500-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
620 AM PST THU MAR 13 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NEVADA...THE EASTERN
SIERRA AND NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS
EVENING AHEAD OF A STRONG STORM SYSTEM OFF THE WEST COAST. BLOWING
DUST IS ALSO LIKELY IN WEST CENTRAL NEVADA. HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED
BY TONIGHT IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA WITH HEAVY
RAIN AT TIMES IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER
STATEMENT FROM RENO /WWUS45 KREV WSWREV/ AND HIGH WIND STATEMENT
/WWUS75 KREV NPWREV/ FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING IN HIGHER
ELEVATIONS OF NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA WITH HEAVY RAIN AT TIMES IN THE
LOWER ELEVATIONS. HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED AGAIN ON SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY IN THE SIERRA AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA
WITH HEAVY RAIN AT TIMES IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. SNOW LEVELS WILL
BE LOWER WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE AROUND LAKE
TAHOE AND THE HIGHWAY 395 CORRIDOR IN CENTRAL MONO COUNTY THIS
WEEKEND. SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER STATEMENT FROM RENO /WWUS45
KREV WSWREV/ FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE
AT TIMES ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ACROSS WESTERN NEVADA AND NORTHEAST
CALIFORNIA.

MORE SNOW IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REGION BY WEDNESDAY AS ANOTHER
PACIFIC STORM REACHES THE WEST COAST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

HEAVY SNOWFALL...RAINFALL AND WIND INFORMATION FROM SPOTTERS WILL
LIKELY BE NEEDED FROM TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE.

MJD

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Mono

When: March 13, 3:47 PM PST
Where: Mono forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 37.939, -118.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, E Nevada/E Placer/E El Dorado/Ne Alpine

When: March 13, 4:00 PM PST
Where: E Nevada/E Placer/E El Dorado/Ne Alpine forecast zone
Measured: 74 kt (85 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.935, -120.458 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Mono

When: March 13, 7:00 PM PST
Where: Mono forecast zone
Measured: 91 kt (105 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 37.939, -118.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

When: March 13, 8:42 PM PST
Where: Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 40.086, -120.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

When: March 13, 8:47 PM PST
Where: Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 40.086, -120.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, E Nevada/E Placer/E El Dorado/Ne Alpine

When: March 13, 10:11 PM PST
Where: E Nevada/E Placer/E El Dorado/Ne Alpine forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.935, -120.458 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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: 5348781, 5348782, 5348786, 5348783, 5348784, 5348785.