Strong Wind in California, February 12 to 13, 2004

Name: Strong Wind in California, February 12 to 13, 2004
Start: 2004-02-12T07:40
End: 2004-02-13T12:00
Location: California

February 12 to 13, 2004 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Sustained southeast wind at 31 MPH with gusts up to 63 MPH were observed in the Extreme South San Joaquin Valley during the 12th with gusty conditions continuing into the morning of the 13th. The gusty conditions reached as far north as Bakersfield which had gusts to 27 knots very early on the 13th.

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.

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 Feb 12, 2:45 AM PST, 4 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 12, 2:45 AM PST, 4 hours 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
245 AM PST THU FEB 12 2004

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...UPPER RIDGE AXIS
WAS ORIENTED ALONG THE WEST COAST THIS MORNING WITH STRONG
SUBSIDENCE EVIDENT ON WV PICS. RIDGE AND OFFSHORE FLOW AT THE
SURFACE WILL MAINTAIN A DRY AND STABLE AIRMASS OVER THE CENTRAL
INTERIOR THRU TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH OFFSHORE GRADS ARE NOT IMPRESSIVE
THIS MORNING...MAGNITUDE SHOULD INCREASE SLIGHTLY TOWARD SUNRISE AND
MAY RESULT IN LOCALLY BREEZY CONDITIONS IN THE KERN MOUNTAINS TODAY.

OTHERWISE...LITTLE DEVIATION IN 00Z RUNS OF ETA/GFS REGARDING
BREAKDOWN OF RIDGE FRI AS SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND DISSIPATING FRONTAL
BAND APPROACH THE COAST. PROGS CONT TO PROJECT LITTLE FORCING AS
REMNANTS MOVE INLAND FRI NGT...HOWEVER WEAK UVM IS INDICATED ON
ISENTROPIC SURFACES AS EARLY AS 00Z SAT. WILL THEREFORE MAINTAIN LOW
POPS ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE DISTRICT UNTIL UPPER SUPPORT
SHIFTS EAST LATE SAT MORNING.

.LONG TERM...FOR SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...EXTENDED RANGE MODELS
ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH INTRODUCING A BUILDING RIDGE PATTERN OVER THE
WEST COAST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD. THEREFORE...WILL ALLOW
THE PRECIP TO END DURING THE SHORT TERM WITH GENERAL DRYING AND
WARMING AT THE START OF THE LONG TERM. AT THE UPPER LEVELS...MODELS
SHOW THE ATMOSPHERE DRYING AT 700MB AS THE FLOW BECOMES MORE
SOUTHWESTERLY. ALONG WITH SUBSIDENCE ALOFT...MODELS SHOW 1000-500MB
THICKNESS INCREASING AND WARMING OF 2-3 DEG-C AT BOTH THE 850MB AND
700MB LEVELS. IN ADDITION...MODEL SURFACE GUIDANCE DOES SHOW A
WARMING TREND INTO THE EXTENDED AS VALLEY READING COULD REACH INTO
THE MID TO UPPER 60S BY NEXT TUESDAY. FURTHERMORE...WITH THE LACK OF
STORM PASSAGES THROUGH THE DISTRICT AND LITTLE IN THE WAY OF MID TO
UPPER LEVEL CLOUD COVER...WILL EXPECT THE POTENTIAL FOR FOG TO
INCREASE AROUND TUESDAY. MODELS SHOW 700MB HEIGHT INCREASING ABOVE
3100 METERS...ALONG WITH A DRYING UPPER LEVEL. THIS PATTERN WILL
ALLOW FOR GOOD FOG DEVELOPMENT. YET...WITH THE TIME OF YEAR NOW INTO
MID FEBRUARY...AN EARLIER SUNRISE WILL LIMIT FOG DEVELOPMENT. WILL
THEREFORE MAINTAIN WORDING IN THE PATCHY CATEGORY. BY WEDNESDAY...
ANOTHER STORM IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH CALIFORNIA WITH INCREASING
CLOUD COVER DURING THE DAY. AT THIS POINT...MODELS SHOW THE NEXT
STORM TO INVADE THE DISTRICT BEYOND THE LONG TERM AND MORE INTO
THURSDAY.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

JSN/MOLINA

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 12, 5:00 AM PST, 2 hours 40 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
500 AM PST THU FEB 12 2004

CAZ089>099-131300-
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-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
500 AM PST THU FEB 12 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...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

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, Sw S.J. Valley

When: February 12, 7:40 AM PST to February 13, 12:00 PM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Strong Wind, Se S.J. Valley

When: February 12, 7:40 AM PST to February 13, 12:00 PM PST
Where: Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

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, February 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: 5384866, 5384867.