Strong Wind, W Central S.J. Valley
- When
- March 6, 6:33 AM PST to 7:00 PM PST
- Where
- W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 36 kt (41 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Dust Storm and High Wind in California, March 6, 2012
March began with below average temperatures due to a cold front that had passed through interior central California during the evening of February 29th. High pressure began to set up over California by the 2nd, with temperatures on March 3rd as much as 13 degrees warmer than on the 2nd.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $85,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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.
March began with below average temperatures due to a cold front that had passed through interior central California during the evening of February 29th. High pressure began to set up over California by the 2nd, with temperatures on March 3rd as much as 13 degrees warmer than on the 2nd.
As the upper-level ridge strengthened over the central California interior, patchy fog developed during the morning of March 4th. This was not unexpected, as climatologically, dense fog can occur as late as the 8th, and the storm at the end of February did bring some surface moisture to the central and southern San Joaquin Valley. Over the Southern Sierra Nevada, a weak offshore flow continued the warming trend across the region with temperatures well above normal.
A weak upper-level low developed off the coast of Baja California on March 4th, and spun some high clouds over central California overnight and into the next morning. Further north, an upper- level trough was approaching the Pacific Northwest coast, and reached California on the 6th. This system brought an unseasonably cold airmass to the central California interior as well as gusty winds, but little rain as a low in the eastern Pacific sheared much of the moisture away from the trough. Winds gusted to around 40 mph on the San Joaquin Valley floor in Merced County during the morning of March 6th, and to around 50 mph in the Diablo Range. A dust storm was reported by the California Highway Patrol on Interstate 5 near Buttonwillow at 10:14 AM, and blowing dust was reported south along Interstate 5 all the way to the Los Angeles County line. Trees were blown down in parts of the Valley. Winds gusted to 55-60 mph in the Kern County mountains and deserts during the day, and Meadows Field, in Bakersfield, had a gust to 41 mph during the early afternoon of the 6th.
The airmass that accompanied the storm was cold and dry. By the afternoon of March 6th, both temperatures and dewpoints in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley were down around 20 degrees from the previous afternoon, setting the stage for lows to fall below freezing once the wind subsided and clouds cleared.
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 6, 4:59 AM PST, 1 hour 34 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 6, 4:59 AM PST, 1 hour 34 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 459 AM PST TUE MAR 6 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY. GUSTY WINDS AND MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL ACCOMPANY THIS SYSTEM, HOWEVER LITTLE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED. && .DISCUSSION... A MOISTURE-LIMITED FRONTAL SYSTEM CONTINUES PUSHING INTO THE REGION ACCOMPANIED BY MAINLY MID AND HIGH CLOUDINESS AND LITTLE PRECIPITATION. STILL EXPECT SOME SHOWERS OVER THE SIERRA ZONES TODAY AS THE FRONT TRACKS THROUGH THE AREA...WITH SNOW LEVELS DROPPING INTO THE FOOTHILL ELEVATIONS. DUE TO THE SCANT ASSOCIATED MOISTURE...SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE RELATIVELY LIGHT AND NO ADVISORIES WILL BE REQUIRED. EVEN A LIGHT ACCUMULATION OF SNOW ON THE ROADS CAN MAKE TRAVEL TREACHEROUS HOWEVER AND THIS IS HIGHLIGHTED IN A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT. THIS IS EVEN MORE NOTABLE IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS...WHERE HEAVILY TRAVELED PASSES MAY SEE SOME FROZEN PRECIPITATION LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN UPSLOPE FLOW. THE FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL ALSO BRING WINDY CONDITIONS AS ONSHORE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS STRENGTHEN BY THIS AFTERNOON ACCOMPANIED BY A STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET. A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS WELL AS A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE VALLEY ZONES. LATER TONIGHT AS THE WINDS SUBSIDE AND COLDER AIR SETTLES INTO THE VALLEY...EXPECT SOME FREEZING OVERNIGHT CONDITIONS IN THE COLDEST LOCALES. THE TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE BORDERLINE BETWEEN FROST ADVISORY AND FREEZE WARNING CRITERIA. GIVEN THE LIKELY SENSITIVITY OF AREA VEGETATION THIS TIME OF THE SEASON...WE HAVE OPTED TO UPGRADE OUR FREEZE WATCH TO A FREEZE WARNING FOR THE VALLEY ZONES FOR WEDNESDAY MORNING. STRONG GUSTY WINDS COULD ALSO SPILL OVER THE HIGHER SIERRA ELEVATIONS FROM THE EAST ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE SYSTEM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. CONDITIONS SHOULD CLEAR OUT WEDNESDAY AS THE SYSTEM DEPARTS. MORE FREEZING VALLEY TEMPERATURES MAY BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS COLD AIR REMAINS IN PLACE. THERE WILL THEN BE A GENERAL WARMING TREND THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE REBUILDS OVER THE REGION...WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS QUICKLY RECOVERING TO ABOVE NORMAL READINGS. CONDITIONS WILL BECOME MORE SEASONABLE BY EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A BROAD TROUGH DISPLACES THE RIDGE OVERHEAD AND ONSHORE FLOW DEVELOPS. && .AVIATION... AREAS OF IFR DEVELOPING IN CLOUDS AND PRECIP ACROSS THE SOUTHERN SIERRA AFTER THROUGH 00Z WED...SPREADING SOUTH INTO THE TEHACHAPI MTNS AFTER 00Z WED. MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION POSSIBLE. ELSEWHERE MAINLY VFR...EXCEPT LOCAL MVFR IN ISOLATED -SHRA THROUGH 00Z WED. FROM 00Z-12Z WED...DECREASING CLOUDINESS AND BECOMING MAINLY VFR OVER THE MTNS...EXCEPT LINGERING AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS/IFR CIGS FROM THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS INTO THE NORTH AND WEST FACING SLOPES OF THE TEHACHAPI MTNS. ELSEWHERE VFR. SFC WINDS... BY 18Z TUES...SFC WINDS INCREASING TO 20-30 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 40 KTS ALONG WITH AREAS OF BLOWING DUST ACROSS THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. WIND GUSTS MAY EXCEED 60 KTS THROUGH AND BELOW WIND FAVORED PASSES AND CANYONS...FROM THE TEHACHAPI MTNS INTO THE HIGH DESERTS. STRONG LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR AND MOUNTAIN WAVES ARE POSSIBLE. WINDS BEGINNING TO DIMINISH AND SHIFTING TO NORTH NEAR 06Z WED. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... NONE. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 10 PM PST THIS EVENING CAZ095-098-099. FREEZE WARNING FROM 1 AM TO 8 AM PST WEDNESDAY CAZ089>092. WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM PST THIS EVENING CAZ089>092. && PUBLIC...JEB AVN/FW...MOLINA SYNOPSIS...WP WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 6, 6:00 AM PST, 33 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 600 AM PST TUE MAR 6 2012 CAZ095-098-099-071230- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY- SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 600 AM PST TUE MAR 6 2012 ...HIGH WIND WARNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM PST TODAY UNTIL 10 PM PST TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO SFONPWHNX FOR DETAILED INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. CAZ089>092-071230- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 600 AM PST TUE MAR 6 2012 ...GUSTY WINDS FOLLOWED BY A FREEZE WARNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TODAY TO 7 PM PST TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO SFONPWHNX FOR DETAILED INFORMATION. A FREEZE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM THROUGH 8 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING. PLEASE REFER TO SFONPWHNX FOR DETAILED INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A FREEZE WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH 8 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING. PLEASE REFER TO SFONPWHNX FOR DETAILED INFORMATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. JEB
Event by event
4 strong wind, 2 high wind, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong Wind, E Central S.J. Valley
- When
- March 6, 8:50 AM PST to 7:00 PM PST
- Where
- E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 36 kt (41 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Strong Wind, Sw S.J. Valley
- When
- March 6, 9:28 AM PST to 7:00 PM PST
- Where
- Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 46 kt (53 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Dust Storm, Sw S.J. Valley
- When
- March 6, 10:14 AM PST
- Where
- Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
Strong Wind, Se S.J. Valley
- When
- March 6, 11:15 AM PST to 7:00 PM PST
- Where
- Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 36 kt (41 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $35,000
- Reported by
- ASOS
High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert
- When
- March 6, 2:33 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
- Where
- Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Mesonet
High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- March 6, 2:51 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Mesonet
What these are
- Strong Wind
- Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
- Dust Storm
- Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.
- 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.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Nevada, March 6 to 7, 2012
- High Wind in Arizona, March 6, 2012
- High Wind in California, March 6, 2012
- High Wind and Strong Wind in California, March 6, 2012
- Winter Storm and High Wind in Utah, March 6 to 7, 2012
- Dust Storm and High Wind in Arizona, March 6, 2012
- High Wind in California, March 6 to 7, 2012
- Winter Storm in Montana, March 6, 2012
- Winter Storm in Montana, March 6, 2012
- Wildfire in Georgia, March 6 to 7, 2012
- Wildfire in Arkansas, March 6, 2012
- High Wind in Nevada, March 6, 2012
More
Every storm in California in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 2012
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: 374236, 374240, 374241, 374231, 374242, 374229, 374228.