A strong offshore pressure gradient in combination with upper level support from a trough over the Intermountain West caused a period of gusty Santa Ana Winds across portions of Southern California. The strongest winds were observed in the Inland Empire as well as in and below passes and canyons of the Santa Ana Mountains.
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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.
The episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.
A strong offshore pressure gradient in combination with upper level support from a trough over the Intermountain West caused a period of gusty Santa Ana Winds across portions of Southern California. The strongest winds were observed in the Inland Empire as well as in and below passes and canyons of the Santa Ana Mountains. Fremont Canyon RAWS measured a wind gust of 73 mph, and later measured a sustained wind of 54 mph. Elsewhere, Ontario International Airport reported a 58 mph wind gust and blowing dust. Between noon and 4 PM, Caltrans responded to 100 calls regarding downed street signs, trees, and power lines. There were even a few reports of overturned big rigs. In Highland, a Eucalyptus Tree fell through an upstairs apartment, temporarily trapping the residents. In Mira Loma, the wind blew roof shingles off homes, snapped tree branches, and blew over a light pole at an apartment complex. In Orange County, an estimated 15,000 people lost power during the high winds. Damage to tree branches and roof shingles was reported in Costa Mesa and a 40-foot palm tree fell onto a 2002 Mercedes Benz in Santa Ana.
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 Nov 29, 8:35 AM PST, 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 835 AM PST WED NOV 29 2006 .SYNOPSIS...A VERY DRY AND VERY COLD AIR MASS IS MOVING SOUTH ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN. THIS WILL GENERATE DAMAGING SANTA ANA WINDS OVER SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...CAUSE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH SUNDAY...AND BRING FREEZING NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES TO MOST OF THE AREA. DRY OFFSHORE FLOW WILL PREVAIL INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. NO PRECIPITATION IS IN SIGHT FOR THE NEXT 9 DAYS. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES. .SHORT TERM... DEVELOPING OFFSHORE FLOW APPEARS ON TRACK. WINDS WERE PICKING UP THROUGH AND BELOW THE CAJON PASS BEFORE SUNRISE AND WERE REACHING FURTHER INTO THE INLAND EMPIRE AREA AT THIS TIME. PILOT REPORTS WERE MENTIONING MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULANCE THROUGH THE CAJON PASS. 500 MB WIND AT DESERT ROCK WAS OVER 100 KNOTS WITH 50 KNOTS OR GREATER SHOWING UP DOWN TO AROUND 8000 FEET ON ACARS SOUNDINGS OVER KONT AND KSAN. PRESSURE GRADIENTS ARE ABOUT 11 MBS OFFSHORE BETWEEN THE GREAT BASIN AND THE COAST AND ABOUT 1 MB OFFSHORE BETWEEN THE SOUTHERN DESERTS AND THE COAST. 12Z NAM MODEL CONTINUES TO INDICATE THE WINDS SHOULD PEAK THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT OVER THE NORTHERN AREAS AND ON THURSDAY OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY AS THE FLOW BECOMES A LITTLE MORE EASTERLY ON THURSDAY. LOCAL WIND STUDIES STILL FAVOR HIGH WIND WARNINGS ACROSS THE INLAND EMPIRE AND SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND PORTIONS OF THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS ON THURSDAY SO THE HWW APPEARS ON TRACK. THE AIR MASS WILL REMAIN VERY DRY THROUGH FRIDAY WITH VERY LOW DEW POINTS. AREAS THAT DO NOT HAVE WIND WILL HAVE VERY STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING AT NIGHT WITH TEMPERATURES AT A NUMBER OF THESE LOCATIONS FALLING BELOW FREEZING FOR TWO TO FOUR HOURS BEFORE SUNRISE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY MORNINGS. IDEA OF FROST ADVISORY LOOKS GOOD FOR THE LOWER ELEVATION AREAS. UPPER DESERT AREAS WILL LIKELY HAVE TEMPERATURES INTO THE TEENS IN THE COLDER AREAS. IDEA OF A FREEZE WARNING FOR THAT AREA LOOKS GOOD FOR TONIGHT BUT SINCE THIS WILL BE THE SECOND EVENT...MIGHT NOT NEED THE FREEZE WATCH FOR THURSDAY NIGHT FOR THAT AREA. OFFSHORE FLOW REMAINS IN PLACE THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH A RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND A TROUGH OVER THE MID SECTION OF THE US THROUGH THE PERIOD. DRY WEATHER SHOULD HOLD THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK AT LEAST. NO UPDATES ARE PLANNED AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TODAY WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. OFFHORE FLOW WILL KICK UP WINDS THIS MORNING ESPECIALLY AROUND KONT AND INCREASE DURING THE DAY. CONSIDERABLE TURBULENCE AND LOW-LEVEL WIND SHEAR CAN BE EXPECTED AS NORTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KNOTS DEVELOP THROUGH AND BELOW PASSES AND CANYONS WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 16 AND 20Z. THESE CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. SURFACE WIND GUSTS COULD REACH 50 KTS IN FAVORED AREAS BELOW THE CAJON PASS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THU MORNING. &&. .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING/WIND ADVISORY FOR MOUNTAINS...INLAND VALLEYS AND ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON...SEE LAXNPWSGX. RED FLAG WARNING FOR THE MOUNTAINS...INLAND VALLEYS AND ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY. SEE LAXRFWSGX. FREEZE WARNING HIGH DESERTS TONIGHT. FROST ADVISORY COACHELLA VALLEY AND WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT. FREEZE WATCH THURSDAY NIGHT MOSTLY SAME AREAS. SEE LAXNPWSGX. && PUBLIC...HORTON AVIATION/MARINE...PG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 315 AM PST WED NOV 29 2006 CAZ042-043-048-050-055-056-057-058-060-061-062-300000- 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- APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- COACHELLA VALLEY- SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS- 315 AM PST WED NOV 29 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ALL OF EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. DAMAGING NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS ACROSS MOUNTAINS AND THROUGH AND BELOW MOUNTAIN PASSES AND CANYONS ARE LIKELY THIS MORNING THROUGH TONIGHT. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS...INLAND EMPIRE AND ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COACHELLA VALLEY AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS. SEE LAXNPWSGX FOR MORE DETAILS. THIS AFTERNOON THE HUMIDITY IS EXPECTED TO DROP BELOW 15 PERCENT AND CONTINUE VERY LOW THROUGH TONIGHT. COUPLED WITH THE STRONG WINDS... CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE PRESENT. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS...INLAND VALLEYS AND ORANGE COUNTY. SEE LAXRFWSGX FOR MORE DETAILS. IN WIND PROTECTED AREAS...TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BELOW FREEZING TONIGHT. A FREEZE WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY DESERT AREAS. A FROST ADVISORY HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED FOR THE COACHELLA VALLEY...THE INLAND EMPIRE...THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY INLAND VALLEYS...ORANGE COUNTY...AND THE COASTAL SECTION OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY. SEE LAXNPWSGX FOR MORE DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. DAMAGING WINDS LIKELY TO CONTINUE THURSDAY. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT THURSDAY FOR MOUNTAINS...INLAND EMPIRE...AND ORANGE COUNTY. A WIND ADVISORY ALSO IN EFFECT THURSDAY FOR COACHELLA VALLEY AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS. WINDS MAY INCREASE AGAIN SATURDAY WITH ANOTHER SANTA ANA WIND EVENT. CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS...INLAND VALLEYS AND ORANGE COUNTY. A KILLING FREEZE IS POSSIBLE AGAIN THURSDAY NIGHT. A FREEZE WATCH IS IN EFFECT THURSDAY NIGHT FOR APPLE VALLEY...LUCERNE VALLEY...COACHELLA VALLEY...SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS...INLAND EMPIRE...SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS DUE TO PROLONGED PERIOD OF TEMPERATURES BELOW 28 DEGREES. TEMPERATURES MAY CONTINUE TO FALL BELOW FREEZING AGAIN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SKYWARN WEATHER SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED AT THIS TIME BUT MAY BE ACTIVATED LATER THIS MORNING. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY OBSERVATIONS OF WIND DAMAGE...AND FROST AND FREEZE DAMAGE OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS. BALFOUR
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in California, November 2006
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: 4889, 4883, 4890.