Strong Wind in California, May 31, 2008

Name: Strong Wind in California, May 31, 2008
Start: 2008-05-31T00:00
End: 2008-05-31T15:00
Location: California

May 31, 2008 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Temperatures slowly recovered through the end of May, but remained below normal. The last day of the month saw an upper-level trough approach the California coast.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $500
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

Temperatures slowly recovered through the end of May, but remained below normal. The last day of the month saw an upper-level trough approach the California coast. The coastal marine layer deepened to over 3500 feet in response to the approaching trough, and marine air spilled through the Pacheco Pass into the San Joaquin Valley near Los Banos. Gusty winds developed near and over the San Luis Reservoir, with sustained wind speeds of 23-26 mph, and gusts to 36 mph.

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 May 30, 8:56 PM PST, 3 hours 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 30, 8:56 PM PST, 3 hours 4 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
956 PM PDT FRI MAY 30 2008

.DISCUSSION...CLEAR SKIES CONTINUE THIS EVENING AS A WEAK SHORT
WAVE RIDGE MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. CURRENTLY...THE RIDGE AXIS IS
OVER THE GREAT BASIN WITH A SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW PATTERN ALOFT
CONTINUING OVER THE DISTRICT. THIS PATTERN HAS ALLOWED
TEMPERATURES TO RUN WARMER THIS EVENING AS MOSTLY LOCATIONS WERE
UP BY 2 TO 4 DEG-F. SHORT RANGE PROGS WERE SHOWING A FEW SHORT
WAVE TROFS MOVING THROUGH THE REGION AND MOSTLY AFFECTING THE
NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE DISTRICT. REGIONAL DOPPLER RADARS HAD
THIS EVENINGS PRECIP NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80 AND MOVING NORTHEAST.
CURRENT IR SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWED MAINLY HIGHER CLOUDS MOVING
THROUGH THE REGION AND SHOULD STAY NORTH OF THE DISTRICT.
THEREFORE...WILL EXPECT MOSTLY CLEAR CONDITIONS FOR THE NEXT 24
HOURS. WILL MAKE NO UPDATES TO THE FORECAST AS FAIR WEATHER IS IN
CONTROL.

&&

.AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS IN THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR
THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...NONE.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

PUBLIC...MOLINA
AVN/FW...BINGHAM

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Event by event

1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, W Central S.J. Valley

When: May 31, 12:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where: W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 30 kt (35 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $500
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

Every storm in California in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in California, May 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: 109453.