Strong Wind in California, April 28 to 29, 2004

Name: Strong Wind in California, April 28 to 29, 2004
Start: 2004-04-28T09:50
End: 2004-04-29T03:00
Location: California

April 28 to 29, 2004 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

In a classic post cold-frontal passage environment, gusty northwest wind developed over the Kern County Mountains and southeast desert areas beneath a mountain wave on the 28th.

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.

In a classic post cold-frontal passage environment, gusty northwest wind developed over the Kern County Mountains and southeast desert areas beneath a mountain wave on the 28th.

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 Apr 28, 8:00 AM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 28, 8:00 AM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
900 AM PDT WED APR 28 2004

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...NO UPDATE
PLANNED THIS MORNING. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND SURFACE REPORTS
INDICATES THE FRONTAL SYSTEM IS NOW MOVING INTO NORTHERN SECTIONS OF
THE FORECAST AREA. SO FAR, WINDS IN THE LOWER VALLEY LOCATIONS OF
THE KERN DESERTS HAVE NOT MATERIALIZED, HOWEVER BEAR PEAK AND
INDIAN WELLS CANYON RAWS STATIONS ARE BEGINNING TO BLOW. LATEST
MODELS STILL INDICATE A BIG INCREASE IN THE SURFACE PRESSURE
GRADIENT FROM SFO TO LAS VEGAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON TO AROUND 15
MILLIBARS. THIS COMBINED WITH THE LOW HEADING ACROSS THE EASTERN
GREAT BASIN AND A VORTICITY CENTER MOVING DOWN THE SIERRA SHOULD
ALLOW FOR A BIG JUMP IN THE WIND VELOCITIES BY EARLY AFTERNOON.
WINDS SHOULD STAY UP THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS BEFORE
DIMINISHING AND TRENDING TO THE NORTHEAST ON THURSDAY. AS FOR
TEMPERATURES, TRENDS ARE RUNNING DOWN ALREADY 2-6 DEGREES AND THE
CURRENT FORECAST HAS THIS HANDLED WELL. NO REAL CHANGE NOTED IN THE
MODELS THIS MORNING FOR THE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT TIME
FRAME AS THE GREAT BASIN LOW MOVES EAST INTO THE ROCKIES AND A RIDGE
OF HIGH PRESSURE BECOMES RE-ESTABLISHED OVER THE CALIFORNIA COAST.

.LONG TERM...FOR SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...MEDIUM RANGE PROGS
CONSENSUS INDICATING AN AMPLIFYING DRY UPPER RIDGE OVER CA SATURDAY
AND SUNDAY. WITH HEIGHTS/THICKNESSES AND 850 MB TEMPS RISING THROUGH
THE PERIOD...DIURNAL TEMPERATURES WILL RISE TO MUCH ABOVE NORMAL ON
SATURDAY AND RISE EVEN A FEW DEG F MORE ON SUNDAY. THE GFS IS MUCH
MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN THE ECMWF/UKMET/GEM AT BREAKING DOWN THE RIDGE
EARLY NEXT WEEK AS AN UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PUSHES INTO THE PAC
NW. BASED ON THE TENDENCY THAT THE GFS HAS TO BREAK DOWN WESTERN
CONUS RIDGES PREMATURELY...AND THE BETTER RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY OF
THE ECMWF COMPARED TO THE GFS...WILL DISCARD THE GFS AND WILL TREND
TEMPERATURES DOWN SLOWER THAN MEX GUIDANCE SUGGESTS...KEEPING
DIURNAL TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL NEXT MONDAY AND TUESDAY.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR THE
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

&&

DUDLEY/DS

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 28, 4:00 AM PST, 5 hours 50 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
500 AM PDT WED APR 28 2004

CAZ089>094-096-097-291200-
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-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
500 AM PDT WED APR 28 2004

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...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

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

CAZ095-098-099-291200-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
500 AM PDT WED APR 28 2004

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR 12 PM TILL 12 AM THURSDAY...FOR THE
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS...THE INDIAN WELLS VALLEY AND THE SOUTHEASTERN
KERN COUNTY DESERT. REFER TO THE LATEST WEATHER MESSAGE / WWUS76 KHNX
/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

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

Event by event

2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: April 28, 9:50 AM PST to April 29, 3:00 AM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: April 28, 11:53 AM PST to April 29, 1:00 AM PST
Where: Kern 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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in California, April 2004

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: 5387279, 5387278.