Strong Wind in California, March 18, 2010

Name: Strong Wind in California, March 18, 2010
Start: 2010-03-18T20:00
End: 2010-03-18T23:00
Location: California

March 18, 2010 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $100,000
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.

During the evening of March 18th, a Mono wind event occurred in Yosemite National Park. A Mono wind event is characterized by strong northeast winds on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, which can often cause widespread tree damage. The event on the 18th occurred between about 9 pm to midnight, according to park personnel. Winds were estimated between 50-60 mph, which caused extensive tree damage. Trees were toppled in a characteristic northeast to southwest pattern, indicative in most Mono wind events.

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 18, 1:45 PM PST, 6 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 18, 1:45 PM PST, 6 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
245 PM PDT THU MAR 18 2010

.SYNOPSIS...
A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALONG WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND
DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
UPPER LEVEL TROF CONTINUES TO MOVE THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN TODAY
AS CLOUDS ROLL THROUGH THE SIERRA NEVADA. BASED ON THE RENO UPPER
AIR OBSERVATION...WILL EXPECT THE ATMOSPHERE TO REMAIN STABLE AS
THE POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY IS INHIBITED. THE RENO
SOUNDING SHOWS A CAP NEAR 650MB THAT MAY BE TOO STRONG TO OVERCOME
DURING THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THIS AS THE
CLOUDS NEAR MONO LAKE ARE NOT ADVANCING OVER THE SIERRA...BUT ARE
MOVING DOWN THE VALLEY. THEREFORE...WILL NOT CONTINUE TO MENTION
THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE EVENING PACKAGE AS THE LACK OF MOISTURE AND
INSTABILITY MAY NOT ALLOW FOR GOOD CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. YET...
THE UPPER TROF MAY INTRODUCE BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE
DISTRICT TONIGHT. SHORT RANGE MODELS SHOW A JET MAX DIVING INTO
THE GREAT BASIN BEHIND THE UPPER TROF TONIGHT WITH THE RIGHT FRONT
QUAD OVER THE DISTRICT. WILL EXPECT SOME OF THE ENERGY FROM THE
JET MAX TO TRANSFER DOWN OVER THE DISTRICT TONIGHT. IN ADDITION...
SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS FROM SFO TO LAS HAVE TREND UPWARD AND
IS CURRENTLY AT 7MB. MODELS PROG ABOUT 11MB OVERNIGHT BEFORE THE
JET MAX SHIFTS OUT AHEAD OF THE NEXT RIDGE SYSTEM. WILL INCREASE
THE WINDS TONIGHT...BUT REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA.
TEMPERATURES MAY TREND DOWN OVERNIGHT SLIGHT OVERNIGHT BUT QUICKLY
REBOUND IN THE COMING DAYS AS THE RIDGE TAKES CONTROL OF THE WEST.
WILL EXPECT WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH SUNDAY BEFORE ANOTHER
WEATHER DISTURBANCE FLATTENS THE RIDGE PATTERN SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS
WILL LEAD TO A MORE ZONAL FLOW PATTERN BY MONDAY AS CONDITIONS
COOL TOWARD CLIMO.

LONGER RANGE MODELS SHOW A CUTOFF LOW DEVELOPING OFF THE SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA COAST AND SLOWLY DRIFTING SOUTHEAST TOWARD BAJA
CALIFORNIA. ALONG WITH THIS CUTOFF LOW...MODELS SHOW A WEAK TROF
MOVING INTO THE GREAT BASIN AS AN INSIDE SLIDER. WILL NOT EXPECT
MUCH IN THE WAY OF PRECIP FROM THIS INSIDE SLIDER...BUT WINDS MAY
BECOME AN ISSUE AGAIN. BY WEDNESDAY...MODELS SHOW THE CUTOFF LOW
AND WEAK TROF MOVING INTO THE FOUR CORNERS AREA WITH A RIDGE
PATTERN BACK OVER THE WEST COAST. AFTER A SLIGHT DROP IN
TEMPERATURES TOWARD MIDWEEK...TEMPERATURES MAY RISE AGAIN BY THE
END OF THE PERIOD. WILL KEEP THE LONGER TERM DRY AS MODELS SHOW NO
SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE SOURCE MOVING INTO THE AREA FOR THE NEXT
SEVEN DAYS.

NOTE...SPRING BEGINS AT 1732Z /1032 PDT/ ON MARCH 20TH.
       ALTHOUGH SPRING DOES NOT BEGIN UNTIL THE 20TH...BOTH FRESNO
       AND BAKERSFIELD ALREADY HAVE HAD THEIR DAYS WITH APPROXIMATELY
       12 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT AND NIGHT...ON THE 16TH AND 17TH. THIS IS
       DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE EARTH IS NOT EXACTLY SPHERICAL AND TO
       ATMOSPHERIC REFRACTION AT SUNRISE AND SUNSET.

&&

.AVIATION...
THE COMBINATION OF AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND STRONG HIGH
PRESSURE IN THE GREAT BASIN WILL PROVIDE MODERATE OFFSHORE WINDS
THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. STRONG GUSTY NE WINDS WILL AFFECT
HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SIERRA AND EAST TO WEST ORIENTED CANYONS OF
THE SIERRA THROUGH 15Z FRIDAY. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL
PREVAIL ACROSS THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR THROUGH 00Z
FRIDAY.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...NONE.

&&

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

&&

PUBLIC...MOLINA
AVN/FW...MV
SYNOPSIS...PJ

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Event by event

1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, S Sierra Mtns

When: March 18, 8:00 PM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 48 kt (55 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Park/Forest Service

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 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in California, March 2010

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: 215701.