California, 2008

Strong Wind in California, March 1 to 2, 2008

March 1 to 2, 2008 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

An upper-level trough moved through northern California during the afternoon of March 1st, riding over, and weakening, the upper-level ridge over the southern part of the state. The trough was mostly dry, but it did tighten surface pressure gradients across southern California.

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.

An upper-level trough moved through northern California during the afternoon of March 1st, riding over, and weakening, the upper-level ridge over the southern part of the state. The trough was mostly dry, but it did tighten surface pressure gradients across southern California. West to northwest winds gusted to 50-55 mph over the Kern County deserts and mountains during the afternoon and evening of the 1st.

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 Mar 1, 1:41 AM PST, 6 hours 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 1, 1:41 AM PST, 6 hours 51 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
141 AM PST SAT MAR 1 2008

.DISCUSSION...HIGH PRESSURE IS RAPIDLY BEING PUSHED EAST AS A
DOUBLE FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES INTO CALIFORNIA. THE FIRST, AN UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH IS NOW PUSHING INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS THE SECOND
FEATURE ENTERS THE BAY AREA. AFTER A DAY OF NEAR RECORD HEAT, THIS
STORM SYSTEM WILL DEFINITELY COOL DOWN THE AREA AND BRING STRONG
WINDS TO THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS, SOUTHERN SIERRA AND KERN
COUNTY DESERT AREAS. WITH THE MAIN MOISTURE AND DYNAMICS MOVING
NORTH OF THE AREA, THE ONLY LOCATION THAT MAY PICK UP SOME LIGHT
PRECIPITATION WILL BE THE UPSLOPE AREA OF THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS FACING THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. WILL KEEP THE 20-30 POPS
IN THIS AREA THROUGH THE DAYTIME HOURS. AS FOR THE WIND, LATEST
MODEL PRESSURE GRADIENT PROGS AND JET STREAM PROGS CONTINUE TO
SUGGEST A HIGH END WIND ADVISORY EVENT OVER THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS WITH WIND SPEEDS REALLY CRANKING UP AROUND
10-11 AM AND CONTINUING INTO SUNSET. LATER TONIGHT, THE SURFACE
GRADIENT SHIFT TO OFFSHORE AND THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH AND SHIFT
TO THE NORTH AND THEN NORTHEAST FOR SUNDAY. A DRY WEATHER PATTERN
WILL CONTINUE NEXT WEEK AS FORECAST MODELS BUILD A HIGH AMPLITUDE
RIDGE ALONG 130W AND THIS WILL SHUNT ANY PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEMS
WELL TO THE NORTH. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN COOLER ON SUNDAY AND
THEN A SLOW WARMING TREND WILL COMMENCE AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE
WEEK. WELCOME TO MARCH.

&&

.AVIATION...AREAS OF MVFR AND LOCAL IFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES
WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE SOUTH END OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND
ACROSS THE NORTH AND WEST FACING SLOPES OF THE TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS
BY 00Z SUNDAY AS THE RESULT OF LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE. THESE CONDITIONS
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY. OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS CAN BE
EXPECTED ACROSS THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR
CAZ095-098-099.

&&

PUBLIC...DUDLEY
AVN/FW...DS

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 1, 3:37 AM PST, 4 hours 55 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
337 AM PST SAT MAR 1 2008

CAZ095-098-099-021200-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
337 AM PST SAT MAR 1 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS
AND DESERTS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON UNTIL 10 PM PST TODAY.
PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST NON PRECIPITATION WARNING ISSUED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN HANFORD AT /WWUS76 KHNX/ OR
/SFONPWHNX/ 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 THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
OFFICE.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

PETERSON

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Event by event

3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When
March 1, 8:32 AM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where
Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured
49 kt (56 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
Mesonet

Strong Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When
March 1, 10:55 AM PST to March 2, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured
41 kt (47 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
Mesonet

Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When
March 1, 1:24 PM PST to March 2, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured
41 kt (47 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

More

Every storm in California in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 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: 91482, 91483, 91484.