Strong Wind in California, May 8, 2003

Name: Strong Wind in California, May 8, 2003
Start: 2003-05-08T09:11
End: 2003-05-08T16:30
Location: California

May 8, 2003 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Gusty wind occurred in the SE Kern County Deserts for much of the daylight hours with gusts as high as 55 MPH in several locations from Mojave up northward to Ridgecrest, including Edwards AFB.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $2,000
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 HNX wrote it up.

Gusty wind occurred in the SE Kern County Deserts for much of the daylight hours with gusts as high as 55 MPH in several locations from Mojave up northward to Ridgecrest, including Edwards AFB.

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 May 8, 8:30 AM PST, 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 8, 8:30 AM PST, 41 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SERVICE HANFORD CA
930 AM PDT THU MAY 8 2003

UPPER LOW NOW SNEAKING INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PER WV IMAGERY. ALSO
EVIDENT IS THE 110 KT H25 JET ROUNDING THE BASE OF THE ASSOCIATED
TROUGH. THIS WILL NO DOUBT ENHANCE DYNAMICS CONDUCIVE TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...PRIMARILY TO OUR
NORTH. FORECAST MODEL SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO SHOW ONLY MARGINAL
INSTABILITY TODAY. MODERATE NW FLOW ALOFT ON THE ORDER OF 30 KT
ACCORDING TO KHNX VWP AND VALLEY PROFILERS CONTINUE TO PUSH LLVL
MOISTURE AGAINST THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS AND KERN MOUNTAINS. LAS-SFO
GRADIENT OF 10 MB IS PROJECTED TO INCREASE TO AROUND 14 MB BY 00Z.
THUS...THE WIND ADVISORY FOR THE KERN MTNS AND THE HIGH WIND WARNING
FOR THE DESERTS LOOK REASONABLE. ALSO MONITORING CURRENT PRECIP
ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. MORNING CALLS CAME UP WITH 4 INCHES OF NEW
SNOW AT TUOLUMNE MEADOWS...WITH RAWS SITES AOA 6000 FEET GENERALLY
REPORTING SNOW EQUIVALENTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES. WITH CONTINUED PRECIP
THREAT...SNOW ADVISORY LOOKS GOOD...BUT AMOUNTS MAY HAVE TO BE
ADJUSTED UPWARD IF TRENDS CONTINUE. AS THE LOW CONTINUES
SOUTHEAST...PRECIPITATION WILL DECREASE OVERNIGHT AND A DRY FORECAST
FOR TOMORROW LOOKS GOOD FOR ALL AREAS ASIDE FROM THE SIERRA
MOUNTAINS...WITH ONLY LIGHT RESIDUAL QPF THERE. BREEZY TO LOCALLY
WINDY CONDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE FAVORED MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS
IN THE WAKE OF THE TROUGH PASSAGE...THOUGH.

WILL SHORTLY UPDATE ZONES TO DECREASE VALLEY SKY COVER/INCREASE
VALLEY TEMPS.

.HNX...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS TODAY AND THIS
       EVENING.
    ...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS TODAY AND THIS
       EVENING.
    ...SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO
       KINGS CANYON TODAY AND THIS EVENING.

BURGER

Hazardous weather outlook, May 8, 4:30 AM PST, 4 hours 41 minutes before

CAZ089>099-091230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
530 AM PDT THU MAY 8 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS
THROUGH THIS EVENING. A WIND ADVISORY IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE KERN
COUNTY MOUNTAINS THROUGH THIS EVENING. REFER TO NPWHNX /WWUS76 KHNX/
FOR DETAILS.

A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM
YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON THROUGH THIS EVENING. REFER TO WSWHNX
/WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR DETAILS.

ISOLATED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE IN THE CENTRAL SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

WEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WILL CONTINUE IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS
AND DESERTS FRIDAY...WITH STRONGER GUSTS THROUGH AND BELOW THE
PASSES. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE
PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

JSN

Event by event

2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: May 8, 9:11 AM PST to 4:30 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: May 8, 9:11 AM PST to 4:30 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured: 49 kt (56 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, May 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: 5354643, 5354644.