High Wind and Strong Wind in California, October 24 to 25, 2010

Name: High Wind and Strong Wind in California, October 24 to 25, 2010
Start: 2010-10-24T17:42
End: 2010-10-25T11:00
Location: California

October 24 to 25, 2010 · NWS VEF · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system and associated cold front brought severe downslope winds to the eastern Sierra slopes and the Owens Valley, and locally high winds to the Mojave Desert.

Where it happened

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.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $56,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 VEF wrote it up.

A strong low pressure system and associated cold front brought severe downslope winds to the eastern Sierra slopes and the Owens Valley, and locally high winds to the Mojave Desert.

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 Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 24, 2:09 PM PST, 3 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 24, 2:09 PM PST, 3 hours 33 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 24, 1:42 AM PST, 16 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
242 AM PDT SUN OCT 24 2010

CAZ519-520-250700-
EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES-OWENS VALLEY-
242 AM PDT SUN OCT 24 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CALIFORNIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL BRING VERY STRONG WEST WINDS ACROSS
THE SIERRA SLOPES...AND A POSSIBILITY OF DOWNSLOPE WINDS INTO THE
OWENS VALLEY. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH 5 AM MONDAY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

WINDS WILL SUBSIDE EARLY MONDAY MORNING...THEN QUIET WEATHER IS
EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. ANOTHER ROUND OF GUSTY WINDS IS
POSSIBLE FRIDAY OR SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING
TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

AZZ001>003-036-CAZ521>527-NVZ014>022-250700-
NORTHWEST PLATEAU-LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-NORTHWEST DESERTS-
LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA-WHITE MOUNTAINS OF INYO COUNTY-
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK-WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT-
EASTERN MOJAVE DESERT-MORONGO BASIN-CADIZ BASIN-
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY-UPPER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-
ESMERALDA AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTY-LINCOLN COUNTY-
NORTHEAST CLARK COUNTY-WESTERN CLARK AND SOUTHERN NYE COUNTY-
SHEEP RANGE-SPRING MOUNTAINS-LAS VEGAS VALLEY-
SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTY-
242 AM PDT SUN OCT 24 2010 /242 AM MST SUN OCT 24 2010/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST
ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL BRING INCREASING WEST TO SOUTHWEST
WINDS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT LIKELY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THE COLD FRONT
MONDAY...THEN QUIET WEATHER IS EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
ANOTHER ROUND OF GUSTY WINDS IS POSSIBLE FRIDAY OR SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING
TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

MORGAN

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Owens Valley

When: October 24, 5:42 PM PST to 10:45 PM PST
Where: Owens Valley forecast zone
Measured: 74 kt (85 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $35,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Wind gusts of 58 mph or greater were recorded in the Owens Valley for five hours, with a peak measured gust of 85 mph 3 miles SSW of Independence. In the Olancha area, the roof of the L.A. Water and Power building was damaged, a big rig was blown over on Highway 395, trees were blown down, and various debris was blown into roadways.

High Wind, Eastern Sierra Slopes of Inyo County

When: October 24, 8:15 PM PST to 11:45 PM PST
Where: Eastern Sierra Slopes of Inyo County forecast zone
Measured: 80 kt (92 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.511, -117.411 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind gusts of 70 mph or greater were recorded in the Eastern Sierra slopes for three and a half hours, with a peak measured gust of 92 mph 4 miles SW of Independence. A spotter 7 miles W of Bishop reported that several trees were uprooted and there was minor damage to several roofs.

High Wind, Western Mojave Desert

When: October 24, 11:56 PM PST
Where: Western Mojave Desert forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

This gust occurred at the Barstow-Daggett Airport (KDAG).

Strong Wind, Morongo Basin

When: October 25, 8:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
Where: Morongo Basin forecast zone
Measured: 30 kt (35 mph) estimated sustained
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sustained winds of 30-35 mph damaged a pool cover and a satellite dish.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 262453, 262454, 262455, 262456.