Strong Wind, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- April 14, 10:00 PM PST to April 15, 9:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Measured
- 49 kt (56 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Strong Wind in California, April 14 to 15, 2008
A dry area of low pressure moved into California on April 14th, dropping central and southern San Joaquin Valley high temperatures as much as 18 degrees, from the lower to mid 90s on the 13th to only the mid 70s to mid 80s the next day. The trough also brought a punch of gusty winds to the Kern County mountains and deserts, with gusts in the 50-55 mph range reported on the 15th.
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 dry area of low pressure moved into California on April 14th, dropping central and southern San Joaquin Valley high temperatures as much as 18 degrees, from the lower to mid 90s on the 13th to only the mid 70s to mid 80s the next day. The trough also brought a punch of gusty winds to the Kern County mountains and deserts, with gusts in the 50-55 mph range reported on the 15th.
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 Apr 14, 8:59 PM PST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 14, 8:59 PM PST, 1 hour 1 minute before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 959 PM PDT MON APR 14 2008 .DISCUSSION...MUCH COOLER AIR INVADED THE VALLEY TODAY AS ONSHORE FLOW INCREASED AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING FRONTAL SYSTEM. AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE VALLEY TODAY WERE DOWN AROUND 10 TO 20 DEGREES FROM SUNDAY HIGHS WHILE HIGHER ELEVATIONS COOLED AROUND 5-10 DEGREES AND THE DESERTS SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE. TOMORROW WILL BRING AN ADDITIONAL 10 TO 20 DEGREES OF COOLING...INCLUDING THE DESERTS...AS THE FRONTAL SYSTEM PUSHES THROUGH THE REGION. HIGHS WILL LOWER TO AROUND 10 DEGREES BELOW CLIMO. A WIND SURGE AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING SYSTEM THIS EVENING BOOSTED WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 30 TO 40 MPH IN THE VALLEY AND RAISED SOME BLOWING DUST. THESE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SUBSIDE SOME DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING...THOUGH BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TOMORROW...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE WEST SIDE. GRADIENTS HAVE TIGHTENED UP TO OVER 15 MB SFO-LAS AND NEAR 5 MB BFL-DAG AND ARE PROGGED TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN THROUGH TOMORROW. WINDS WILL INCREASE TO ADVISORY LEVELS IN THE KERN MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS AND COULD CONTINUE TO FLIRT WITH CRITERIA IN THE VALLEY. NO UPDATES TO TONIGHT/S FORECAST AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL GENERALLY PREVAIL ACROSS THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TONIGHT AND TUESDAY WILL BRING BREEZY CONDITIONS IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...OCCASIONALLY REDUCING VISIBILITY BELOW 1 MILE IN BLOWING DUST. STRONG GUSTY WINDS WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH WILL OCCUR OVER THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT AREAS AS WELL AS OVER THE HIGH SIERRA. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... NONE && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR CAZ095-098-099. && PUBLIC...JEB AVN/FW...MV WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 14, 3:56 PM PST, 6 hours 4 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 456 PM PDT MON APR 14 2008 CAZ095-098-099-160000- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY- SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 456 PM PDT MON APR 14 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 PM PDT TUESDAY. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST NON PRECIPITATION WARNING ISSUED BY THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-HANFORD /WWUS76 KHNX/ OR SFONPWHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT TUESDAY. NO FURTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD JONES
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 5:09 PM PST, 4 hours 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 609 PM PDT MON APR 14 2008 CAZ089>092-150300- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 609 PM PDT MON APR 14 2008 A DRY FRONTAL SYSTEM PUSHING THROUGH THE REGION IS BRINGING GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS TO THE SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED TO BRIEFLY INCREASE TO 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 TO 40 MPH AS THE WIND SURGE MOVES THROUGH. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST MAY ALSO REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO AROUND 1/4 TO 1/2 MILE IN SOME LOCATIONS...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY AND NEAR FRESHLY PLOWED FIELDS. THE GUST FRONT WHICH MOVED THROUGH THE HANFORD...LEMOORE AND VISALIA AREAS NEAR 6 PM WILL REACH KERN COUNTY BETWEEN 630 PM AND 700 PM AND WILL REACH THE SOUTHERN END OF THE VALLEY BY 8 PM. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE WITHIN AN HOUR OR TWO AFTER THE FRONT PASSES...BECOMING NORTHWEST AROUND 10 TO 20 MPH...EXCEPT REMAINING NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 40 MPH ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY. WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD JEB
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 7:25 PM PST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 825 PM PDT MON APR 14 2008 CAZ091-092-150430- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 825 PM PDT MON APR 14 2008 A DRY FRONTAL SYSTEM PUSHING THROUGH THE REGION IS BRINGING GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS TO THE SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED TO BRIEFLY INCREASE TO 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 TO 40 MPH AS THE WIND SURGE MOVES THROUGH. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST MAY ALSO REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO AROUND 1/4 TO 1/2 MILE IN SOME LOCATIONS...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY AND NEAR FRESHLY PLOWED FIELDS. THE GUST FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE BAKERSFIELD AND SOUTH VALLEY AREA BETWEEN 830 PM AND 900 PM. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE SOON AFTER THE FRONT PASSES...BECOMING NORTHWEST AROUND 10 TO 20 MPH...EXCEPT REMAINING NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 40 MPH ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY. WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 8:55 PM PST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 955 PM PDT MON APR 14 2008 CAZ089>094-150700- 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- 955 PM PDT MON APR 14 2008 ...GUSTY WINDS OVER THE VALLEY THROUGH THIS EVENING... A DRY FRONTAL SYSTEM PUSHING THROUGH THE REGION IS BRINGING GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS TO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. AT 945 PM...THE STRONGEST WINDS WERE OVER MADERA...FRESNO...KINGS AND TULARE COUNTIES...WHERE GUSTS TO 30 TO 35 MPH WERE OCCURRING. THESE GUSTS WERE CREATING AREAS OF BLOWING DUST...WITH VISIBILITIES REDUCED TO 1 TO 3 MILES. AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES SOUTH...THE WINDS WILL SUBSIDE FROM THE NORTH...BUT INCREASE OVER KERN COUNTY. GUSTY WINDS WILL REACH BAKERSFIELD BY 11 PM...AND CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST MIDNIGHT. GUSTY WINDS ALSO ARE OCCURRING IN THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS THIS EVENING...WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH REPORTED AT MARIPOSA. SANGER WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Event by event
3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong Wind, Indian Wells Vly
- When
- April 14, 10:00 PM PST to April 15, 9:00 PM PST
- Where
- Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
- Measured
- 49 kt (56 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert
- When
- April 14, 10:00 PM PST to April 15, 9:00 PM PST
- Where
- Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
- Measured
- 49 kt (56 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- Mesonet
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
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Nevada, April 14, 2008
- High Wind in California, April 14, 2008
- High Wind in Utah, April 14 to 15, 2008
- High Wind in Nevada, April 14 to 15, 2008
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, April 14 to 16, 2008
- Funnel Cloud in Oregon, April 14, 2008
- High Wind in Nevada, April 14, 2008
- Dust Devil in Michigan, April 14, 2008
- High Wind in Idaho, April 14, 2008
- High Wind in Wyoming, April 14 to 15, 2008
- Blizzard in Alaska, April 14 to 15, 2008
More
Every storm in California in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2008
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: 97809, 97810, 97811.