Thunderstorm Wind, Kern
- When
- August 14, 4:15 PM PST to 5:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kern County, 22 mi S of China Lake Naf
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 35.367, -117.683
Damaging Wind and Heavy Rain in California, August 14, 2004
The intersection of thunderstorm outflow boundaries from a thunderstorm cell near Mojave and another southeast of Edwards AFB the afternoon of the 14th led to high winds from a severe thunderstorm reported south of China Lake Naval Air Facility. S.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
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 HNX wrote it up.
The intersection of thunderstorm outflow boundaries from a thunderstorm cell near Mojave and another southeast of Edwards AFB the afternoon of the 14th led to high winds from a severe thunderstorm reported south of China Lake Naval Air Facility. California Highway Patrol reported some water and mud over U.S. Highway 395 from locally heavy rain from the cell.
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 Aug 14, 1:30 PM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 14, 1:30 PM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA 230 PM PDT SAT AUG 14 2004 .SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...MEAN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE WRN US NOT FCST TO CHANGE MUCH OVER THE NEXT 3 DAYS. HOWEVER...2 VERY WEAK SHORTWAVE TROFS EJECTING OUT OF THE DEEP GLF AK LOW. ONE IS MOVING THRU THE REGION NOW...AND THE 2ND IS DUE THRU SUN MORNING. THIS JUST ENOUGH TO BRIEFLY TURN THE FLOW ALOFT TO THE SW. THIS WILL KEEP TSTM ACTIVITY THIS EVE CONFINED TO HIGHER ELEVS OF THE SIERRA...EXTENDING INTO THE TEHACHAPIS AND KERN DESERTS. STILL RELATIVELY HIGH SOUNDING PW/S IN A FEW AREAS TO MENTION SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS THIS EVE...SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY. ON SUN...GFS X-SCTNS SHOW MID LEVEL FLOW TURNING BACK TO SOUTHERLY. SO BOTTOM LINE IS...NOTHING SEEN IN PROGS TO END TSTM THREAT SUN FOR THE MTNS AND DESERTS SUN...AND HAVE EXPANDED POPS BACK INTO KERN CO. SOME EASTWARD SHIFT IN DEEPER MOISTURE SEEN ON MON...SO SHOULD SEE THREAT IN KERN CO DIMINISH...BUT KEEPING STANDARD AFTN CONVECTION ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVS OF THE SIERRA. VERY LITTLE CHANGE IN H8 TEMPS OR 1000-500 MB THICKNESSES THE NEXT 3 DAYS...SO BASICALLY LITTLE DAY TO DAY CHANGES IN TEMPS. COASTAL GRADS SUFFICIENT TO KEEP NIGHTTIME MARINE INTRUSIONS INTO THE VALLEY BRINGING NEAR NORMAL TEMPS. .LONG TERM...FOR TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...GOOD CONSISTENCY WITH THE EXTENDED PROGS IN WEAKENING THE GULF OF AK UPPER LOW AND LIFTING IT NORTHWARD ALLOWING FOR UPPER RIDGING TO RETROGRADE BACK INTO THE AREA EARLY BY MIDWEEK...THEN PREVAIL OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. GFS HINTING AT AN UPPER VORT PUSHING INTO THE PAC NW BY FRIDAY...LOWERING HEIGHTS A BIT WHICH MIGHT ALLOW FOR A SLIGHT COOLING ON DAYS 6 AND 7. UPPER FLOW EXPECTED TO REMAIN FAIRLY LIGHT THROUGH THE PERIOD...ALLOWING FOR LINGERING MOISTURE OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA TO HELP FUEL INSTABILITY T-STORMS EACH AFTERNOON AS THE ATMOSPHERE DESTABILIZES. THE REMAINDER OF THE CWFA WILL REMAIN MOSTLY CLEAR AND DRY AS RH PROGS INDICATING LITTLE...IF ANY MOISTURE ADVECTING INTO THE AREA. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && BINGHAM/DS
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Kern
- When
- August 14, 5:25 PM PST to 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kern County, 6 mi N of Johannesburg
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in North Carolina, August 14, 2004
- Hurricane in North Carolina, August 14, 2004
- Hurricane in South Carolina, August 14, 2004
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in California, August 14, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, August 14, 2004
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 14, 2004
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in New Mexico, August 14, 2004
- Tropical Storm in North Carolina, August 14, 2004
- Hail in Colorado, August 14, 2004
- Hail in Colorado, August 14, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, August 14 to 15, 2004
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in South Carolina, August 14, 2004
More
Every storm in California in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 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: 5412030, 5412031.