A high pressure ridge built along the west coast, along with high pressure building over the great basin, set up a pattern favorable for moderate to strong Santa Ana winds across southwest California.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.
A high pressure ridge built along the west coast, along with high pressure building over the great basin, set up a pattern favorable for moderate to strong Santa Ana winds across southwest California.
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 Jan 19, 9:30 PM PST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 930 PM PST WED JAN 19 2011 .SYNOPSIS...A SHALLOW MARINE LAYER WILL CAUSE LOW CLOUDS AND PATCHY DENSE FOG WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT. OFFSHORE FLOW WILL CAUSE MODERATE TO LOCALLY STRONG GUSTY WINDS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. STRONG UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND PERIODS OF WEAK OFFSHORE FLOW WILL BRING FAIR AND MILD WEATHER WITH LOCAL GUSTY WINDS AT TIMES FRIDAY INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...FOR SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA INCLUDING SAN DIEGO... ORANGE...SOUTHWEST SAN BERNARDINO AND WEST RIVERSIDE COUNTIES. .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT-SATURDAY)...THERE WERE LOW CLOUDS AND FOG IN THE COASTAL AREAS AND MOST SAN DIEGO INLAND VALLEYS THIS EVENING. MOSTLY CLEAR ELSEWHERE. THE 00Z NKX SOUNDING HAD AN INVERSION BASED NEAR 2500 FT WITH DRY NW WINDS ALOFT. INCREASING OFFSHORE GRADIENTS FROM THE N WITH ABOUT -9 MB SAN-TPH AND WEAK ONSHORE TO THE E. A COASTAL EDDY WILL CONTINUE LOW CLOUDS AND FOG W OF THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT. A SURFACE HIGH WILL BUILD IN BEHIND A DEPARTING SHORT WAVE FOR RAPIDLY DEVELOPING OFFSHORE FLOW LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING. THIS WILL PUSH MOST STRATUS OFFSHORE BY SUNRISE. HOWEVER...A FEW PATCHES COULD LINGER NEAR THE SAN DIEGO COAST. THERE WILL BE MODERATE UPPER AND THERMAL SUPPORT AND STRONG GRADIENT SUPPORT FOR OFFSHORE WINDS THURSDAY. STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE THROUGH AND BELOW MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE CAJON PASS AND SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS. WINDS WILL LIKELY GUST TO WARNING STRENGTH WITH SPEEDS OVER 60 MPH AND LOCALLY AND BRIEFLY NEAR 80 MPH POSSIBLE. THE OTHER MOUNTAIN...INLAND VALLEYS AREAS AND COACHELLA VALLEY WILL LIKELY HAVE ADVISORY STRENGTH WIND GUSTS TO ABOUT 50 MPH. THE WINDS WILL BE LATER TO DEVELOP IN THE SRN AREAS. THE WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT AS ALL SUPPORT FOR OFFSHORE FLOW WEAKENS. WEAK OFFSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY. A SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE PAST TO THE NE EARLY SATURDAY. THIS WILL CAUSE A BRIEF RETURN OF ONSHORE FLOW WITH AREAS OF COASTAL LOW CLOUDS AND FOG FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. WARMER W OF THE MOUNTAINS THURSDAY BUT COOLER IN THE MOUNTAINS AND MOST DESERT AREAS. THE WARMING WILL EXTEND FARTHER INLAND FRIDAY. COOLER IN MOST AREAS SATURDAY BUT MAX TEMPS WILL STILL BE NEAR OR A LITTLE ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES DESPITE THE COOLING. && .LONG TERM (SUNDAY-WEDNESDAY)...OFFSHORE FLOW WILL STRENGTHEN AGAIN BEHIND THE DEPARTING SHORT WAVE AS A SURFACE HIGH BUILDS INTO THE INTERIOR. THIS OFFSHORE FLOW WILL NOT BE AS STRONG AS ON THURSDAY. A STRONG UPPER HIGH WILL REMAIN IN THE ERN PACIFIC AND WEAK INTERMITTENT OFFSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL KEEP SKIES MOSTLY CLEAR WITH NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE SEASONAL TEMPS IN MOST AREAS. && .AVIATION... 200430Z...COASTAL CIGS 1-1.5K FT MSL AND TOPS TO 2K FT MSL MAY LOWER BRIEFLY AFTER 07Z AND CLEAR FROM EAST TO WEST 08Z-12Z AS FLOW TURNS OFFSHORE AND INCREASES. IT IS POSSIBLE THE TIMING OF THE CLEARING COULD BE DELAYED AT COASTAL TAF SITES IF THE WINDS REMAIN ELEVATED THROUGH THE NIGHT...BUT BY 16Z THU ALL AREAS SHOULD BE CLEAR WITH UNRESTRICTED VIS. EXPECT SIGNIFICANT WIND SHEAR TO DEVELOP AROUND 06Z AT KONT...KSNA...AND POSSIBLY KPSP WHICH WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE WINDS SURFACE AFTER SUN UP. STRONG SANTA ANA WINDS WITH LOCAL GUSTS OVER 60 KTS WILL BE LIKELY AT TIMES THU THROUGH AND BELOW PASSES AND CANYONS CREATING STRONG UDDFS AND LLWS WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS. && .MARINE... WEST SWELL DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE QUITE AS LARGE AS MODEL FORECASTS...BUT BASED ON LOCAL BEACH OBSERVATIONS...MARGINAL HIGH SURF WAS OBSERVED TODAY. THE SWELL SHOULD PEAK OVERNIGHT AND SUBSIDE SLOWLY ON THU WITH ABOUT A 15 SECOND PERIOD. HIGH TIDES NEAR 7 FEET THU MORNING MAY ADD TO THE LARGER THAN NORMAL SURF TO RESULT IN MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS. HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL THURSDAY AFTERNOON. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 2 PM PST THURSDAY FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS...INLAND EMPIRE...SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. SEE LAXNPWSGX. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 2 PM PST THURSDAY FOR THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS. SEE LAXNPWSGX. WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 2 PM PST THURSDAY FOR THE COACHELLA VALLEY...SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS. SEE LAXNPWSGX. HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THURSDAY FOR THE BEACHES. SEE LAXCFWSGX. && PUBLIC...ATKIN AVIATION/MARINE...JAD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 400 PM PST WED JAN 19 2011 CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-061-201200- ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-THE INLAND EMPIRE-SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-COACHELLA VALLEY- 400 PM PST WED JAN 19 2011 CAZ042-043-048-050-055-056-057-058-060-061-062-201200- ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS- SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS- THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...REMAINDER OF TODAY AND TONIGHT. LOCALLY DENSE FOG WILL OCCUR NEAR THE COAST WITH LOCAL VISIBILITY LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A MILE AT TIMES. WEST SWELL WILL BRING HIGH SURF TO THE BEACHES OF ORANGE AND SAN DIEGO COUNTIES. BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT...STRONG GUSTY OFFSHORE WINDS THROUGH AND BELOW MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES WILL OCCUR. WIND WARNINGS AND WIND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. STRONG GUSTY OFFSHORE WINDS BELOW MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES WILL CONTINUE THURSDAY. WIND WARNINGS AND WIND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT INTO THURSDAY AFTERNOON. WEST SWELL WILL CONTINUE TO BRING HIGH SURF TO THE BEACHES OF ORANGE AND SAN DIEGO COUNTIES THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SKYWARN WEATHER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY TO OBSERVE AND REPORT DAMAGE FROM HIGH WINDS. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS. ATKIN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High winds began at the Fremont Canyon RAWS between 0830 and 0930 PST, during which time a peak gust of 74 MPH was measured. High winds ended between 1730 and 1830 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2011
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: 278541.