Strong Wind in California, May 16 to 17, 2005

Name: Strong Wind in California, May 16 to 17, 2005
Start: 2005-05-16T10:45
End: 2005-05-17T02:34
Location: California

May 16 to 17, 2005 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Gusty post-frontal wind occurred in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts from mid-day on the 16th into the early morning hours of the 17th.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $3,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

Gusty post-frontal wind occurred in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts from mid-day on the 16th into the early morning hours of the 17th.

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 May 16, 8:40 AM PST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 16, 8:40 AM PST, 2 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
940 AM PDT MON MAY 16 2005

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...WATER VAPOR
IMAGERY INDICATES TROUGH AXIS MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR ATTM. MAIN BAND OF RAIN IS THE IN THE SIERRA AND EXTENDED
INTO THE VALLEY ACROSS TULARE AND KINGS COUNTY. IR SATELLITE
INDICATES A JET STREAK CROSSING ALONG THE BACK OF THE FRONTAL BAND
THIS MORNING...BUT PROOGS INDICATE THE TROUGH AXIS PASSING EAST OF
THE SIERRA THIS AFTERNOON WITH WARM AIR ADVECTION ALOFT BEHIND IT.
MAY GET SOME SHOWERS CONTINUING INTO THE AFTERNOON...BUT
THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM.

AS THE TROUGH AXIS MOVES OVER THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS THIS
AFTERNOON...THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS ARE FORECAST TO
INCREASE...WITH THE 12Z NAM PLACING THE SAN FRANCISCO-LAS VEGAS
GRADIENT AROUND 15 MILLIBARS BY 00Z TUESDAY WHILE THE GFS HOLDS IT
AROUND 13 MILLIBARS. THUS...EXPECT THE WINDS IN THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS TO INCREASE TO NEAR ADVISORY LEVELS THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 60 MPH BELOW THE PASSES.

FROM PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...BEHIND THIS TROUGH...AN UPPER-LEVEL
SHORT-WAVE RIDGE IS FORECAST TO MOVE OVER CALIFORNIA TUESDAY FOR DRY
WEATHER. THE GFS FORECASTS A WEAK RIPPLE TO RIDE OVER THE RIDGE
TUESDAY NIGHT...WHICH MAY PROVIDE ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO TRIGGER A
FEW SHOWERS OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. ATTENTION NEXT TURNS TO
AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY JUST SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS IS
FORECAST TO MOVE EAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN PACIFIC OVER THE NEXT TWO
DAYS...BRINGING ITS TROUGH TO ALONG 136W BY 00Z THURSDAY. INCREASING
HIGH CLOUDS FROM OVERRUNNING CIRRUS WILL HELP KEEP TEMPERATURES
BELOW NORMAL THROUGH MIDWEEK.

.LONG TERM...FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...IMPRESSIVE UPPER
LOW WILL BE SITUATED OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA AT THE START OF THE
PERIOD...WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE AREA THROUGH THE REST OF
THE WORK WEEK. YET...WITH HEIGHTS REMAINS HIGH OVER THE DISTRICT AND
MUCH OF THE DYNAMICS AND MOISTURE ALSO TRACKING OVER NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA...MAY ONLY SEE LIGHT PRECIP OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE
CWFA. HOWEVER...WILL NOT RULE OUT SPRINKLES REACHING KINGS AND
TULARE COUNTIES...BUT WILL NOT MENTION IT OVER THE SOUTHERN END OF
THE CWFA FOR NOW UNTIL A CLEARER PICTURE IS FORMULATED. THEREFORE...
WILL MAINTAIN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIP FOR THE PERIOD OF THURSDAY
AND FRIDAY BEFORE SHIFTING THE TROF INTO THE ROCKIES BY EARLY
SATURDAY. AT WHICH TIME...RIDGING BUILDING BACK INTO THE WEST COAST
WILL ALLOW THE DISTRICT TO BEGIN DRYING. IN ADDITION...850MB TEMPS
SHOW SOME 4-7 DEG-C OF WARMING ON SATURDAY FROM THAT OF FRIDAY. THIS
WILL TRANSLATE IN SURFACE TEMPERATURES REACHING TO NEAR 90 DEG-F IN
THE VALLEY AND WELL INTO THE 90S OVER THE DESERTS. SUNDAY WILL SEE
ADDITIONAL WARMING AS THE RIDGE BECOMES THE DOMINATE FEATURE OVER
THE WEST COAST.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE MERCED
RIVER AT POHONO BRIDGE UNTIL 10 PM PDT.

&&

WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD /USE ALL LOWER CASE/

BEAN/MOLINA

Hazardous weather outlook, May 16, 8:19 AM PST, 2 hours 26 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
919 AM PDT MON MAY 16 2005

CAZ096-171200-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
919 AM PDT MON MAY 16 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA
NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE MERCED RIVER AT POHONO
BRIDGE UNTIL 1000 PM THIS EVENING. SEE THE LATEST SFOFLWUSJ /WGUS46
KHNX/ FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

ADDITIONAL FLOOD WARNINGS MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE MERCED RIVER AT
POHONO BRIDGE. CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR THE LATEST SFOFLWUSJ /WGUS46
KHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

CAZ095-098-099-171200-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
919 AM PDT MON MAY 16 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS...
THE INDIAN WELLS VALLEY...AND THE SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

CAZ089>094-097-171200-
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-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
919 AM PDT MON MAY 16 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY...THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS...AND THE
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

JSN

Event by event

3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: May 16, 10:45 AM PST to May 17, 2:34 AM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: May 16, 12:51 PM PST to May 17, 2:34 AM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: May 16, 1:13 PM PST to May 17, 2:34 AM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in California, May 2005

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: 5449087, 5449086, 5449088.