An upper trough of low pressure moving through the interior west in combination with surface high pressure near the Great Basin caused gusty east to northeast winds below the local passes and canyons. Wind gusts between 60 and 80 mph on the 2nd caused the usual problems with overturned big rigs and broken tree branches in the Inland Empire and the Santa Ana Mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
An upper trough of low pressure moving through the interior west in combination with surface high pressure near the Great Basin caused gusty east to northeast winds below the local passes and canyons. Wind gusts between 60 and 80 mph on the 2nd caused the usual problems with overturned big rigs and broken tree branches in the Inland Empire and the Santa Ana Mountains. The activity shifted south into San Diego County on the 3rd where wind gusts in excess of 60 mph forced the closure of Interstate 8 to all high-profile vehicles.
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 Mar 2, 3:00 AM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 300 AM PST SUN MAR 2 2008 .SYNOPSIS...STRONG WINDS ALOFT ALONG WITH STRONG SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL CAUSE STRONG GUSTY WINDS TODAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR 60 MPH THROUGH AND BELOW PASSES AND CANYONS. PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL RAPIDLY DECREASE MONDAY AND WINDS WILL BE LIGHT TO BREEZY BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL MOVE OVER THROUGH MONDAY...THEN IT WILL WEAKEN TUESDAY WITH LITTLE CHANGE WEDNESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL INCREASE THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WITH LITTLE CHANGE SATURDAY. && .DISCUSSION...FOR SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA INCLUDING SAN DIEGO... ORANGE...SOUTHWEST SAN BERNARDINO AND WEST RIVERSIDE COUNTIES. GRADIENTS RAPIDLY GOING OFFSHORE. MARINE LAYER STILL RATHER DEEP WITH SOME DRIZZLE AND LIGHT RAIN REPORTED. EXPECT IT WILL CONTINUE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY THIS MORNING AND BREAK OUT EARLY THIS MORNING IN ORANGE COUNTY AND THE INLAND VALLEYS. WINDS IN THE DESERTS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS...INLAND VALLEYS AND INTO ORANGE COUNTY TODAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. THERMAL GRADIENTS LOOK RATHER IMPRESSIVE FOR TODAY THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. STRONG WINDS EXPECTED IN THE NORTH PART TODAY...DEVELOPING IN THE SOUTH PART TONIGHT. STRONGEST GRADIENTS SHOULD BE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING WITH THE STRONGEST NORTHEAST WINDS THEN. LOOKS LIKE IT SHOULD BE ABOUT 12-14 MB TO TPH BY LATE TONIGHT. SURFACE AND THERMAL GRADIENTS FALL APART RAPIDLY MONDAY MORNING AND WINDS MAY WEAKEN SOONER THEN FORECAST. FLOW GOES ONSHORE TUESDAY. SOME FOG AND LOW CLOUDS MAY DEVELOP MAINLY ALONG THE SOUTH COAST TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. WEAK OFFSHORE DEVELOPS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THAT SHOULD REMOVE ANY FOG AND LOW CLOUDS. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT INCREASES TODAY THROUGH MONDAY. A WEAK TROUGH BACKS OUT THE HIGH TUESDAY WITH NOT MUCH CHANGE WEDNESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT BUILDS IN THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...THEN NOT MUCH CHANGE. && .FIRE WEATHER... STRONG OFFSHORE EVENT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. DRIER THROUGH MONDAY. FUEL MOISTURES CONTINUE TO BE QUITE HIGH AND A WATCH OR WARNING IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && .AVIATION... 021030Z...THE MARINE LAYER IS ABOUT 4500 FEET DEEP...BUT THE COLDER AIR ALOFT HAS WEAKENED THE ALREADY WEAK INVERSION. AS A RESULT THE MARINE LAYER IS ERODING AND COASTAL AIRPORTS HAVE SCATTERED OUT. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL BE STRONG THROUGH THE COACHELLA VALLEY WHERE LOCAL BLOWING DUST IS EXPECTED...AND TURBULENCE WILL OCCUR IN THE EAST SIDE OF MTNS. INCREASING OFFSHORE N-NE WINDS ALOFT WILL CLEAR THE SKIES EARLY THIS MORNING...WITH THE LAST CLOUDS BANKED UP AGAINST THE MTNS. LOCALLY STRONG OFFSHORE N-NE WINDS WILL DEVELOP THIS MORNING...BRINGING AREAS OF TURBULENCE AND LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR IN THE LEE (SOUTH AND WEST) OF MTNS. OFFSHORE WINDS WILL INCREASE LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MON MORNING ESPECIALLY IN RIV AND SD COUNTIES. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WATCH...HIGH WIND WARNING AND WIND ADVISORY. SEE LAXNPWSGX. && PUBLIC.....WHITLOW AVIATION...MM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 400 AM PST SUN MAR 2 2008 CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-060>062-PZZ750-775-031200- 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- COASTAL WATERS FROM SAN MATEO POINT TO THE MEXICAN BORDER AND OUT 30 NM- WATERS FROM SAN MATEO POINT TO THE MEXICAN BORDER EXTENDING 30 TO 60 NM OUT INCLUDING SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND- 400 AM PST SUN MAR 2 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT. STRONG RIP CURRENTS. STRONG GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS... DESERTS...INLAND VALLEYS AND INTO ORANGE COUNTY. HIGH WIND WARNING...HIGH WIND WATCH AND WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT. SEE LAXNPWSGX. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS THROUGH MONDAY. HIGH WIND WARNING...HIGH WIND WATCH AND WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT. SEE LAXNPWSGX. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SKYWARN WEATHER ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED FOR THIS AREA...HOWEVER WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS. WHITLOW
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Fremont Canyon RAWS measured an 84 mph wind gusts during a period of offshore flow.
A peak wind gust of 74 mph was measured at Palm Avenue Elementary School. Elsewhere, wind gusts reached 61 mph near Riverside, 54 mph at Devore and Ontario International Airport, and 46 mph at Corona Airport. At least one big rig was blown over due to the gusty winds.
A peak wind gust of 61 mph was measured in Descanso, 59 mph in Pine Hills and Pine Valley, and 54 mph at the Cameron Fire Station. Interstate 8 was temporarily shut down to high-profile vehicles and all classes in the Mountain Empire School District were canceled. This was the tenth day this winter that classes were canceled in the Mountain Empire School District due to weather conditions.
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, March 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: 87294, 87296, 87302.