California, 2009

Dust Storm and Strong Wind in California, April 14 to 16, 2009

April 14 to 16, 2009 · NWS HNX · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

Another short-lived upper-level ridge built into California on April 11th-12th, then gave way to a mostly dry system that reached California on the 13th. This cold front brought strong winds to the west side of the San Joaquin Valley on April 14th, with dust storms occurring near Coalinga and Avenal.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
3
Property damage
$2,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

Another short-lived upper-level ridge built into California on April 11th-12th, then gave way to a mostly dry system that reached California on the 13th. This cold front brought strong winds to the west side of the San Joaquin Valley on April 14th, with dust storms occurring near Coalinga and Avenal. Both dust storms produced areas of near-zero visibility. Winds gusted to 41 mph at Meadows Field Bakersfield and to 35 mph at Fresno-Yosemite International Airport. The gusts at Meadows Field were only 4 mph less than the ASOS-era record for April of 45 mph, set on April 3rd, 1999. (Because the ASOS measures winds in a different manner than older anemometers, wind records for ASOS sites only go back to the date the ASOS was commissioned).

On the 14th at 1425 PDT, the California Highway Patrol reported blowing dust at Avenal cutoff on I-5 with near-zero visibility. The CHP determined it caused a traffic collision along Interstate 5. No fatalities were reported although several people were injured.

Winds continued to gust to 35 mph through the morning of April 15th, and spread across the central Valley to the cities of Merced and Atwater. The winds then abated a bit, but increased again the next day. A gust to 40 mph was measured at Fresno-Yosemite International Airport on April 16th, only 1 mph less than the ASOS-era record gust for April of 41 mph on April 14th, 2002.

The storm brought only a trace of rain to Fresno and Bakersfield. The highest reported rainfall was only 0.06 inch at Mariposa Grove in the Southern Sierra Nevada southeast of Wawona.

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 13, 1:44 PM PST, 18 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 13, 1:44 PM PST, 18 hours 31 minutes before
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Event by event

3 strong wind, 2 dust storm, 1 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.

Dust Storm, W Central S.J. Valley

When
April 14, 8:15 AM PST to April 15, 3:27 AM PST
Where
W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

Dust Storm, Sw S.J. Valley

When
April 14, 1:25 PM PST to April 15, 3:27 AM PST
Where
Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Injuries
0 direct, 3 indirect
Reported by
Law Enforcement

Strong Wind, W Central S.J. Valley

When
April 15, 10:02 AM PST to 12:02 PM PST
Where
W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured
36 kt (41 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$500
Reported by
Mesonet

Strong Wind, E Central S.J. Valley

When
April 15, 10:02 AM PST to 12:02 PM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured
36 kt (41 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$500
Reported by
Mesonet

Strong Wind, Sw S.J. Valley

When
April 15, 10:02 AM PST to 12:02 PM PST
Where
Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured
36 kt (41 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$500
Reported by
Mesonet

Frost/Freeze, Se S.J. Valley

When
April 16, 4:50 AM PST to 5:50 AM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

What these are

Dust Storm
Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.
Strong Wind
Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
Frost/Freeze
Frost or temperatures at or below freezing during the growing season, usually filed for crop damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2009

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 168729, 168730, 168732, 168733, 168734, 168735.