High Wind in California, December 16, 2004

Name: High Wind in California, December 16, 2004
Start: 2004-12-16T09:10
End: 2004-12-16T11:10
Location: California

December 16, 2004 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $150,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 16, 3:30 AM PST, 5 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 3:30 AM PST, 5 hours 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
330 AM PST THU DEC 16 2004

.SYNOPSIS...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER UTAH AND NEVADA COMBINED WITH
NORTHEAST WINDS ALOFT WILL CAUSE LOCAL STRONG OFFSHORE
WINDS...MAINLY THROUGH AND BELOW MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES INTO
FRIDAY. WEAKER OFFSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
CONTINUED DRY BUT COOLER NEXT WEEK IN NORTHERLY FLOW.

&&

.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES.

12 TO 15 MB PGRADS AND 700 MB 50KT JET WILL CAUSE STRONG OFFSHORE
WINDS TODAY. THE THERMAL SUPPORT WEAKENS A LITTLE FRI BUT THE UPPER
WINDS AND OFFSHORE GRADIENTS REMAIN STRONG. THIS SHOULD BRING LOCAL
STRONG GUSTY NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS...MAINLY THROUGH AND BELOW
MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES AND ALSO IN THE NRN COACHELLA VALLEY.
THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY MORNINGS. THE
CURRENT WIND WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES LOOK OK...ALTHOUGH THE
ADVISORIES IN THE ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS AND INLAND SAN VALLEYS
MAY EVENTUALLY HAVE TO BE UPGRADED TO WARNINGS. THE WINDS DECREASE
FRI AFTERNOON. THE WINDS WILL BRIEFLY REDEVELOP SAT MORNING...BUT
NOT AS STRONG. WARM DAYS W OF THE MOUNTAINS. WEAK UPPER LEVEL LOW
PRESSURE AND WEAKER OFFSHORE FLOW WILL RESULT IN COOLING SUN. THERE
WILL STILL BE SOME LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS.
ANOTHER SURFACE HIGH BUILDS IN ACROSS NRN CA AND THEN INTO THE
INTERIOR THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER...OFFSHORE WINDS
SHOULD REMAIN WELL BELOW ADVISORY STRENGTH MON THROUGH MID WEEK.
DRY N TO NW WINDS ALOFT DURING THIS PERIOD. THIS WILL CONTINUE MOSTLY
CLEAR SKIES WITH ONLY SMALL TEMP CHANGES.

&&

.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

HIGH WIND WARNINGS FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND INLAND EMPIRE AND WIND
ADVISORIES FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS...SAN DIEGO INLAND
VALLEY AND COACHELLA VALLEY UNTIL 200 PM FRIDAY...SEE LAXNPWSGX.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ORANGE AND SAN
DIEGO COUNTY BEACHES...SEE LAXCWFSGX.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR OUTWR WATERS...SEE LAXCWFSGX.

&&

MACKECHNIE

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 16, 6:00 AM PST, 3 hours 10 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
600 AM PST THU DEC 16 2004

CAZ042-043-048-050-055-056-057-058-061-171400-
ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-
SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-
SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE-
SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS-
SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
COACHELLA VALLEY-
600 AM PST THU DEC 16 2004

.DAY ONE...

STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW WILL CAUSE LOCAL STRONG GUSTY WINDS. AS A
RESULT...HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT OR THE MOUNTAINS AND
INLAND EMPIRE AND WIND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE ORANGE
COUNTY COASTAL AREAS...SAN DIEGO INLAND VALLEYS AND COACHELLA VALLEY
TONIGHT UNTIL 200 PM FRIDAY. LOCAL NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS 20 TO 40
MPH WITH GUSTS TO OVER 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED...MAINLY THROUGH AND
BELOW CANYONS AND PASSES. PEOPLE SHOULD WATCH FOR BROKEN TREE
LIMBS...DOWNED TREES AND DOWNED POWER LINES. THERE COULD ALSO BE
TRAFFIC SIGNAL OUTAGES AND LOCAL VISIBILITY REDUCED IN BLOWING DUST
AND SAND. SEE LAXNPWSGX FOR DETAILS.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY AND STRONG RIP CURRENTS TODAY. SEE LAXSRFSGX.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING OFFSHORE WINDS WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH AND BELOW MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES INTO
FRIDAY...DECREASING FRIDAY AFTERNOON. WEAKER OFFSHORE WINDS WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY AND STRONG RIP CURRENTS FRIDAY.

MACKECHNIE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, San Bernardino County Valley/The Inland Empire

When: December 16, 9:10 AM PST to 11:10 AM PST
Where: San Bernardino County Valley/The Inland Empire forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 34.293, -116.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four big rigs were blown over on Inland Empire freeways by gusty Santa Ana winds. A wind gust of 69 mph was recorded in northwest San Bernardino at about the same time as the accidents. Another big rig was blown over on the Ramona Expressway near San Jacinto. The gusty winds forced the CHP to close Interstate 15 between Rancho Cucamonga and Devore. The top of Victoria Garden's 65-foot Christmas tree snapped off. Trees were blown over and power lines brought down by the strong winds.

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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in California, December 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: 5431484.