Strong northerly winds developed across the mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Winds gusting as high as 76 MPH were reported.
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 LOX wrote it up.
Strong northerly winds developed across the mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Winds gusting as high as 76 MPH were reported.
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 Los Angeles, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 9, 5:19 AM PST, 34 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 519 AM PST TUE DEC 9 2008 .SHORT TERM (TODAY-THURSDAY)...OFFSHORE FLOW PATTERN DEVELOPING OVER THE AREA. MOST STRATUS HAS BEEN WIPED OUT FOR THE COASTAL AREAS THIS MORNING...EXCEPT SOME PATCHES OF STRATUS REMAINING IN THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY VALLEYS AND NON-COASTAL SLOPES OF THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY MOUNTAINS. OFFSHORE WINDS ARE STARTING TO INCREASE THIS MORNING AND FOR HEADLINE SIMPLIFICATION...START TIMES WERE BUMPED UP TO GO OUT WITH THE MORNING PACKAGE. THIS WAS JUSTIFIED WITH LATEST NAM-WRF BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS INDICATING SOME STRENGTHENING IN THE VALLEYS AROUND 12Z. NAM BUFR DATA INDICATED SIMILAR DATA WITH 30 TO 40 KNOTS OF WIND OFF THE SURFACE AT KVNY AND KBUR AT 12Z. WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS...THESE WINDS SHOULD MIX DOWN...BRINGING ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS TO THE VALLEYS. SURFACE GRADIENTS REMAIN OFFSHORE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY WITH KLAX-KDAG AROUND 4 MB OFFSHORE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND LATE TONIGHT. THERMAL GRADIENTS AND UPPER-LEVEL WINDS STILL APPEAR STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTINUE WIND HEADLINES. WARNINGS FOR THE MOUNTAIN AREAS WILL LIKELY BE DOWNGRADED TO A WIND ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON...AND ADVISORY WILL LIKELY RUN INTO WEDNESDAY. THE MAIN QUESTION SEEMS TO BE WHAT TO DO WITH THE VALLEY AREAS FOR TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING. THOUGH NAM-WRF CONTINUES STRONG BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS...THERMAL GRADIENTS SEEMS MARGINAL TO INCLUDE ALL THE VALLEY AREAS. IN ADDITION...NAM BUFR WIND DATA SEEMS MUCH WEAKER AT KBUR AND KVNY. FOCUS WILL LIKELY BE PLACED ON THE VENTURA COUNTY AND SANTA CLARITA VALLEYS. WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES PUSHING FROM THE EAST...A FREEZE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ANTELOPE VALLEY. THOUGH IT IS MATTER OF HOW MUCH WIND DROP OFF TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING IN THE DESERT. NAM-WRF 850 MB TEMPERATURES DROP BELOW 5 DEGREES CELSIUS OVER THE ANTELOPE VALLEY...AND 950 MB TEMPERATURES DROP TO NEAR 3 DEGREES CELSIUS. WITH MOS GUIDANCE VALUES ALL INDICATING TEMPERATURES DROPPING BELOW FREEZE CRITERIA...HEADLINE HAS BEEN CONTINUED FOR THE ANTELOPE VALLEY. OFFSHORE WEAKENS ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...SETTING UP FOR THE WARMEST DAY OF THE WEEK ON THURSDAY. NAM-WRF 950 MB TEMPERATES AGREE WITH THIS IDEA...WARMING THE AREA TO NEAR 24 DEGREES CELSIUS OVER THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY VALLEYS. .LONG TERM (FRIDAY-MONDAY)...MODELS ARE STARTING TO MORE CLOSELY AGREE ON A STORM SYSTEM ARRIVING SOMETIME LATE FRIDAY NIGHT OR SATURDAY OVER THE AREA. POPS HAVE BEEN NUDGED UP A BIT ALONG THE HIGHER TERRAIN. WITH THE NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN...PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY BE MORE WIDESPREAD NORTH OF POINT CONCEPTION...AND SHOWERY SOUTH OF POINT CONCEPTION. ECMWF SEEMS TO BE THE MORE AGGRESSIVE MODEL IN COMPARISON TO THE LATEST GFS SOLUTION. HOWEVER...THE GFS BECOMES MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH THE A BROAD COLD TROUGH SOUTH OVER THE AREA NEXT WEEK. ECMWF SEEMS A LITTLE DRIER WITH THE THE SYSTEM KEEPING ITS TRACK OVER THE INTERIOR. FOR THE CURRENT FOR CONSISTENCY...PACKAGE REMAINS UNCHANGED FOR LATE IN THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION...09/1312Z. OFFSHORE FLOW WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH WED. EXPECT MOSTLY VFR CONDS THROUGH THE PERIOD. LOCALLY STRONG GUSTY NE WINDS WILL CAUSE UDDF ACROSS LOCAL MTNS AND ADJ VALLEYS WITH LLWS NEAR KBUR...KVNY AND POSSIBLY NEAR KLAX BETWEEN 16Z-21Z THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT CAVU CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE THROUGH WED. KLAX...MODERATE CONFIDENCE FOR OFFSHORE WINDS EXCEEDING 8 KTS AND PERSISTING THROUGH 21Z...THEN SHIFT TO THE NW IN THE AFTERNOON HOURS. WEAKER OFFSHORE FLOW WILL DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN THIS EVE THROUGH OVERNIGHT HOURS. KBUR...CAVU CONDITIONS THROUGH WED. HIGH CONFIDENCE FOR LLWS NEAR KBUR THIS MORNING...AND UDDF NEAR ADJACENT FOOTHILLS AND MTNS BELOW 080 THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. GOOD CONFIDENCE THAT WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN IN THE EVENING...BUT WILL NOT BE AS STRONG. HOWEVER...SOME LLWS AND UDDF WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE...ALTHOUGH ONLY NEAR MODERATE CONFIDENCE. && .LOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING (SEE LAXNPWLOX). RED FLAG WARNING (SEE LAXRFWLOX). WIND ADVISORY (SEE LAXNPWLOX). SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY (SEE LAXMWWLOX). FREEZE WATCH (SEE LAXNPWLOX). MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT (SEE LAXMWSLOX). && PUBLIC...HALL AVIATION...KAPLAN WWW.WEATHER.GOV/LOSANGELES
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 900 PM PST MON DEC 8 2008 CAZ034>041-044>046-051>054-059-087-088-547-548-091400- SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY CENTRAL COAST- SANTA BARBARA COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-SANTA YNEZ VALLEY- SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-CUYAMA VALLEY- SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST-VENTURA COUNTY COAST- LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST INCLUDING DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES- VENTURA COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-VENTURA COUNTY COASTAL VALLEYS- SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS RECREATIONAL AREA- SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MOUNTAINS-VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAINS- LOS ANGELES COUNTY MOUNTAINS EXCLUDING THE SANTA MONICA RANGE- ANTELOPE VALLEY-CATALINA ISLAND-SANTA CLARITA VALLEY- LOS ANGELES COUNTY SAN FERNANDO VALLEY- LOS ANGELES COUNTY SAN GABRIEL VALLEY- 900 PM PST MON DEC 8 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE... TODAY GUSTY NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS... STRONGEST NEAR THE INTERSTATE 5 CORRIDOR. LATER TONIGHT...THE WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHEAST AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AS A SANTA ANA WIND PATTERN DEVELOPS. * WIND ADVISORY..............SEE WWUS76 KLOX - NPWLOX FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SANTA ANA WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY DURING THE DAY TUESDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN PASSES OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES WHERE WIND GUSTS OF 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED. COASTAL AND VALLEY LOCATIONS IN LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES CAN EXPECT WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH ON TUESDAY. THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS...LOW HUMIDITIES...AND SUFFICIENTLY DRY FUELS WILL CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS...PROMPTING THE ISSUANCE OF RED FLAG WARNINGS FOR MUCH OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES. WHILE OFFSHORE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH SOMEWHAT ON WEDNESDAY... WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL. OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES IN WIND PROTECTED INTERIOR LOCATIONS WILL DROP BELOW FREEZING EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. A FREEZE WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR THE ANTELOPE VALLEY FOR LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING... WHERE TEMPERATURES COULD FALL AS LOW AS THE UPPER TEENS TO LOWER 20S. A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL BRING MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES AND A SMALL CHANCE OF RAIN OVER THE WEEKEND WITH LOW SNOW LEVELS. * HIGH WIND WARNING..........SEE WWUS76 KLOX - NPWLOX FOR DETAILS * * RED FLAG WARNING...........SEE WWUS86 KLOX - RFWLOX FOR DETAILS * * FREEZE WATCH...............SEE WWUS76 KLOX - NPWLOX FOR DETAILS * * WIND ADVISORY..............SEE WWUS76 KLOX - NPWLOX FOR DETAILS * .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. GOMBERG
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Gusty north winds developed across the mountains of Los Angeles county. The Chilao RAWS sensor reported wind gusting to 76 MPH while the Whitaker Peak RAWS sensor reported wind gusting to 65 MPH.
Gusty north winds developed across the mountains of Ventura county. Winds gusting as high as 76 MPH were reported across eastern sections of the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2008
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: 141626, 141627.