California, 2011High Wind in California, April 21 to 25, 2011
April 21 to 25, 2011 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone
A series of storm systems moving across the Pacific Northwest was to blame for the windy conditions experienced in Southern California in late April. A particularly strong jet moving across the Pacific brought periods of strong winds to the mountains and deserts.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $8,000
- 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.
A series of storm systems moving across the Pacific Northwest was to blame for the windy conditions experienced in Southern California in late April. A particularly strong jet moving across the Pacific brought periods of strong winds to the mountains and deserts. The winds were responsible for blowing sand on roadways and even overturning one small plane.
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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 21, 2:00 AM PST, 1 hour earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 21, 2:00 AM PST, 1 hour before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
300 AM PDT THU APR 21 2011
.SYNOPSIS...
NIGHT AND MORNING LOW CLOUDS AND FOG WITH SOME AFTERNOON CLEARING
WILL CONTINUE WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THERE WILL
BE A CHANCE OF DRIZZLE AND LIGHT SHOWERS IN THE VALLEYS AND COASTAL
AREAS THURSDAY MORNING. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW
SEASONAL AVERAGES AND THERE WILL BE GUSTY WEST WINDS IN THE
MOUNTAINS AND THE DESERTS AT TIMES. THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK WILL
BRING WARMER WEATHER WITH A DECREASING MARINE LAYER.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...
.SHORT TERM (TODAY-SATURDAY)...
STRATUS IS FILLING IN WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS...OTHERWISE SKIES WERE
CLEAR THIS MORNING. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A SHORT WAVE TROUGH
BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THIS TROUGH SHOULD
DEEPEN THE MARINE LAYER AS IT MOVES THROUGH THIS MORNING...POSSIBLY
GENERATING SOME DRIZZLE AND LIGHT RAIN WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH
MID MORNING. THERE SHOULD BE PARTIAL CLEARING OF THE LOW CLOUDS IN
THE AFTERNOON. THE TROUGH WILL ALSO BRING GUSTY ONSHORE WINDS TO THE
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WHILE WINDS AT A
COUPLE LOCATIONS COULD REACH ADVISORY CRITERIA...DO NOT EXPECT IT TO
BE WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO WARRANT A WIND ADVISORY.
CONTINUED COOL ON FRIDAY UNDER WEAK BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT. LOW
CLOUDS AND FOG SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY LESS EXTENSIVE WITH BETTER DAYTIME
CLEARING. MAX TEMPS WILL BE A COUPLE DEGREES HIGHER THAN TODAY...BUT
WILL STILL BE SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES OVER AND WEST
OF THE MOUNTAINS.
A MORE SUBSTANTIAL TROUGH WILL BEGIN TO MOVE THROUGH CALIFORNIA ON
SATURDAY...BRINGING COOLER WEATHER...INCREASED CLOUDINESS...AND
GUSTY WINDS IN THE MTNS AND DESERTS.
&&
.LONG TERM (SUNDAY-WEDNESDAY)...
COOLING TREND CONTINUES ON SUNDAY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH. THE MARINE LAYER WILL DEEPEN A BIT MORE WITH SOME
PATCHY DRIZZLE LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. GUSTY WINDS WILL ONCE
AGAIN BE AN ISSUE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS...MAINLY IN THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
A WARMING TREND BEGINS ON MONDAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST. THE MARINE LAYER WILL
GRADUALLY BECOME MORE SHALLOW AND LOW CLOUDS/FOG WILL BE CONFINED TO
THE COASTAL AREAS AND WESTERN VALLEYS BY TUESDAY MORNING. WEDNESDAY
WILL BE THE WARMEST DAY OF THE WEEK WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 70S NEAR
THE COAST...80S IN THE VALLEYS AND HIGH DESERTS...70S IN THE
MTNS...AND MID 90S IN THE LOW DESERTS.
&&
.AVIATION...
210900Z...MARINE LAYER ABOUT 3500 FT DEEP WITH BASES ABOUT 2500 FT
MSL WITH AREAS 1500 FT. VSBY ABOVE 7SM WITH LOCAL 3-5SM THIS
MORNING. AREAS OF DRIZZLE OR LIGHT RAIN IS EXPECTED THIS MORNING.
EXPECT STRATUS TO REMAIN MAINLY BROKEN TO OVERCAST WITH LOCAL
SCATTERED AFTERNOON. GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS
AND DESERTS TODAY. STRATUS BECOMING OVERCAST TONIGHT WITH LITTLE
CHANGE IN THE MARINE LAYER.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.
&&
PUBLIC...SS
AVIATION...WHITLOW
High Wind, Coachella Valley
- When
- April 21, 3:00 AM PST to April 25, 9:00 PM PST
- Where
- Coachella Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The Palm Springs Airport measured a wind gust of 45 mph on the 21st. The gusty winds were responsible for blowing over a single-engine, Cessna 172 aircraft after it landed Thursday afternoon around 1230 PST. The pilot, the only passenger, was not injured. Also, Indian Canyon Drive was closed due to large amounts of blowing sand near the Whitewater Wash around 1500 PST on the 21st. It had recently been reopened after being closed just a couple of days prior for blowing sand as well.
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Hail in Arkansas, April 21, 2011$240,000 · 2.75 in hail · 11 events
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in Utah, April 21, 2011$103,000 · 72 kt wind · 13 events
- Wildfire in Texas, April 21 to 24, 2011$55,000 · 2 events
- Flooding in Illinois, April 21 to 30, 2011$50,000 · 3 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 21, 2011EF1 · 10 events
- Hail in Oklahoma, April 21, 2011$25,000 · 1.75 in hail · 8 events
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, April 21, 2011$29,000 · 50 kt wind · 3 events
- Hail in South Carolina, April 21, 2011$10,000 · 1.75 in hail · 21 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 21 to 22, 2011$4,000 · 1 in hail · 9 events
- Winter Storm in Montana, April 21 to 22, 20118 events
- Hail in Georgia, April 21, 20111.75 in hail · 7 events
- Winter Storm in Montana, April 21 to 22, 20114 events
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: 298869.