Strong Wind in California, May 29, 2005

Name: Strong Wind in California, May 29, 2005
Start: 2005-05-29T14:30
End: 2005-05-29T21:00
Location: California

May 29, 2005 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A weak frontal passage late in the month on the 29th led to gusty wind again in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts.

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.

A weak frontal passage late in the month on the 29th led to gusty wind again in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts.

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 29, 1:40 PM PST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 29, 1:40 PM PST, 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
240 PM PDT SUN MAY 29 2005

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...MAINLY SUNNY
SKIES PREVAIL THIS AFTERNOON AND TEMPERATURES ARE MUCH COOLER. BIG
UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO MOVE SLOWLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTHWEST
NEVADA, HOWEVER THE CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH IT APPEARS TO BE WELL
NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. AS THIS LOW MOVES SOUTHEAST, THE AREA OF
CONVECTION AND INSTABILITY SHOULD REMAIN TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF
YOSEMITE THUS WILL KEEP POPS AT ZERO. WINDS HAVE FINALLY BEGUN TO
PICK UP OVER THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS AND THE EDWARDS WIND TOWER
NETWORK IS SHOWING GUSTS TO OVER 40 MPH. AT TOWER 8 ON THE CHINA LAKE
RANGE, GUSTS TO 47 MPH HAVE BEEN OBSERVED. LAUREL MOUNTAIN IS NOW
GUSTING TO 46 MPH AND THIS TREND SHOULD SLOWLY INCREASE THIS
AFTERNOON. THE WIND ADVISORY SHOULD HANDLE THIS TREND JUST FINE.

WITH TODAYS COOLER MAXES, I EXPECT THAT TONIGHT WILL BE COOL AGAIN
OVER MOST LOCATIONS. MEMORIAL DAY WILL SHOW THE BEGINNING OF A
WARMING TREND OVER ALL LOCATIONS, HOWEVER THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
WILL WARM SLOWER AS COOL AIR WILL REMAIN POOLED IN THE VALLEY.
MODELS CONTINUE TO PUSH THE NEVADA LOW EAST INTO UTAH BY LATE
MEMORIAL DAY AND THEN EAST OF THE REGION. WEAK RIDGING WILL BUILD
OVER THE FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY, HOWEVER A WEAK PACIFIC
DISTURBANCE MOVING ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY WILL
SEND A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. TEMPERATURE TRENDS
WILL CONTINUE TO BE UP ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS THE AIRMASS
RECOVERS TO A MORE NORMAL SITUATION FOR LATE MAY AND EARLY JUNE.

THIS AFTERNOONS HYDROLOGY CONCERN REMAINS ALONG THE MERCED RIVER IN
YOSEMITE. AS EXPECTED, THE STAGE AT THE POHONO BRIDGE HAS FALLEN TO
9.6 FEET AS OF 1 PM. CURRENT FORECAST OF THE LEVEL FALLING TO
AROUND 9.0 FEET LATER TODAY SEEMS RIGHT ON TRACK. COOLER
TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON WILL CERTAINLY SLOW DOWN SNOWMELT, THUS
TONIGHTS PEAK STAGE WILL BE LOWEST IN THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS.

.LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...MEDIUM RANGE
SOLUTIONS HAVE SOME DIFFERENCES...BUT A GENERAL PATTERN CONSENSUS
CAN BE FOUND AMIDST THE DETAILS. NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT PREVAILS
ACROSS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WITH AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM OVER THE NW
STATES TO BEGIN THE PERIOD. WEAK RIDGING TRIES TO BUILD ALONG THE
COAST TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEK BUT IS QUICKLY FLATTENED BY
ALEUTIAN LOW SYSTEM DIVING SE. THIS WILL STRENGTHEN AND BROADEN
A MEAN TROF COVERING THE WESTERN CONUS. AM GOING WITH LITTLE
CHANGE IN TEMPS THROUGH THE PERIOD...RIGHT AROUND SEASONAL LEVELS.
COOL ONSHORE FLOW OVERNIGHT WILL CONTINUE AND SUNNY DAYS
THROUGHOUT.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE MERCED
     RIVER AT POHONO BRIDGE. SEE SFOFLSUSJ /WMO HEADER WGUS86 KHNX/.
     ...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS
     THROUGH 10 PM PDT.

&&

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

DUDLEY/HARTY

Hazardous weather outlook, May 29, 8:45 AM PST, 5 hours 45 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
945 AM PDT SUN MAY 29 2005

CAZ098-099-301200-
INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
930 AM PDT SUN MAY 29 2005

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TILL 10 PM PDT FOR THE
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT. SEE SFONPWHNX /WWUS76 KHNX/ FOR
DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

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>095-097-301200-
EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
945 AM PDT SUN MAY 29 2005

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

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.

CAZ096-301200-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
945 AM PDT SUN MAY 29 2005

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE MERCED RIVER AT POHONO
BRIDGE. SEE SFOFLSUSJ /WGUS86 KHNX/ FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

ADDITIONAL FLOOD WARNINGS MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE MERCED RIVER AT
POHONO BRIDGE DUE TO SNOWMELT. NO OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS
EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

TLM

Event by event

3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: May 29, 2:30 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: May 29, 4:13 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured: 44 kt (50 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: May 29, 5:56 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 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: 5449089, 5449090, 5449174.