California, 2004High Wind in California, December 18, 2004
December 18, 2004 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone
1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $5,000
- 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 18, 9:00 AM PST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 18, 9:00 AM PST, 2 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
900 AM PST SAT DEC 18 2004
.SYNOPSIS...OFFSHORE FLOW WILL BRING LOCAL WINDS TO SOUTHERN AND
WESTERN SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING. FAIR AND MILD WEATHER
WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL DAYS AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE
WEST COAST. COOLER WEATHER AND STRONG OFFSHORE WINDS WILL DEVELOP
AROUND MIDWEEK.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES.
SOME OFFSHORE WINDS CONTINUE BUT GUSTS ONLY INTO THE 20-30 MPH
RANGE. THE GRADIENT TURNS MORE EASTERLY FOR TONIGHT WHICH WOULD
DISFAVOR CAJON PASS A LITTLE AND FAVOR WINDS THROUGH EAST-WEST
PASSES IN RIVERSIDE AND SAN DIEGO COUNTIES AND MAY NEED A WIND
ADVISORY FOR THOSE AREAS. OTHERWISE...FAIR FOR A FEW DAYS BUT COOLER
STARTING SUN AS THE UPPER HIGH OVER THE WEST COAST BREAKS DOWN A
LITTLE AND RETREATS TO THE OCEAN. THIS PUTS SOCAL IN NORTH OR
NORTHWEST FLOW. SHORTWAVES MOVING THROUGH THE HIGH TUE AND LATER WED
WILL ENHANCE OFFSHORE FLOW BY DRAWING COLD AIR INTO THE GREAT BASIN.
THIS WILL MEAN OFFSHORE WINDS WILL PICK UP AGAIN TUE THROUGH THU AT
LEAST. AND NO RAIN IN SIGHT THROUGH CHRISTMAS WEEKEND.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM FOR ORANGE AND SAN DIEGO
COUNTY COASTS...SEE LAXCFWSGX.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...SUMMARIZING HAZARDOUS WEATHER...SEE
LAXHWOSGX.
&&
MM
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 18, 6:00 AM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
600 AM PST SAT DEC 18 2004
CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-191400-
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-
600 AM PST SAT DEC 18 2004
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
A LONG PERIOD WEST SWELL WILL CAUSE LARGE SURF AND STRONG RIP
CURRENTS AND A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR ORANGE AND SAN
DIEGO COUNTY COASTS THROUGH 6 PM. SEE LAXCFWSGX FOR DETAILS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
POTENTIAL FOR STRONG GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH
WEDNESDAY IN THE INLAND VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS...OTHERWISE...NO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
WHITLOW
High Wind, San Diego County Mountains
- When
- December 18, 11:30 AM PST to 2:00 PM PST
- Where
- San Diego County Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 76 kt (87 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A Cal-Trans weather site recorded a wind gust to 88 mph. The Descanso RAWS recorded a wind gust of 46 mph. Winds were sustained 37 mph gusting to 44 mph at Campo. The CHP closed Interstate 8 to all high profile vehicles between El Cajon and El Centro because of gusty winds.
- 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.
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: 5431487.