High Wind in California, May 27 to 28, 2013

Name: High Wind in California, May 27 to 28, 2013
Start: 2013-05-27T00:00
End: 2013-05-28T21:00
Location: California

May 27 to 28, 2013 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

An upper-level ridge moved into California behind the low, bringing a warming trend to the region. Temperatures warmed into the 90s on May 20th and 21st, and then fell into the 70s the next day as an upper-level low again brought a surge of marine air through the Sacramento Delta. This marine push, combined with synoptic cooling, caused temperature falls of nearly 20 degrees. High temperatures in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley remained in the 70s on the 23rd before warming into the lower 80s on the 24th.

The low deepened the marine layer, and marine air spilled into the San Joaquin Valley through the Sacramento Delta on May 22nd, with gusts to 38 mph at both the Merced Regional Airport and the Castle Airpark. Winds also gusted to 44 mph at NAS Lemoore. Strong winds also developed across the mountains and deserts of Kern County on the 22nd, with gusts to 56 mph recorded.

An upper-level low over the Pacific Northwest brought another dry trough into the northern half of California on May 24th. As the upper-level jet stream dove around the base of the trough, it brought gusty winds to the Cache Creek area where gusts to 49 mph were recorded. The trough also deepened the marine layer, and marine air spilling through Pacheco Pass caused gusts to 35 mph as far east as Los Banos during the night of May 24th-25th and into the morning of the 25th.

The upper-level trough lingered over the state through the 28th, and then moved east of the region the next day. The trough kept gusty winds over the mountains and deserts, and the central and southern San Joaquin Valley saw periods of gusts at 25-35 mph. Light showers developed across the region, but rainfall amounts were only from a trace to a few hundredths of an inch in most spots.

As the upper-level jet dove down the back of the trough, it triggered very strong winds through and below the passes and canyons of the Kern County mountains. Gusts to around 65 mph developed below the Tehachapi Pass and spread across the southeastern Kern County desert. Strong winds created areas of blowing dust south of Rosamond during the afternoon of May 28th. Visibilities fell to near zero, and multi-vehicle accidents on Highway 14 south of the Los Angeles County-Kern County line closed the highway from Rosamond south into northern Los Angeles County.

As the trough moved east of the region on May 29th, winds began subsiding although gusts to around 50 mph continued in the normally windiest parts of the Kern County mountains and deserts. An upper-level ridge began building into California behind the trough, and high temperatures across the central and southern San Joaquin Valley warmed to near normal on May 29th and 30th, and a few degrees above normal on May 31st.

The average temperature for May at Fresno was 73.0 degrees, tying the 7th warmest May on record. Bakersfield had an average temperature of 72.7 degrees, for its 23rd warmest May on record.

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 May 26, 1:58 PM PST, 10 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 26, 1:58 PM PST, 10 hours 2 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
258 PM PDT SUN MAY 26 2013

.SYNOPSIS...
A STORM SYSTEM OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL BRING A COOL ONSHORE
FLOW TO THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR NORMAL TODAY. MEMORIAL DAY WILL BRING
INCREASING CLOUDS AND COOLER AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WITH THE
POSSIBILITY OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION MAINLY OVER THE HIGH SIERRA
NEVADA TOWARD EVENING.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A LARGE UPPER TROUGH ALONG THE WEST U.S. WILL MAINTAIN A COOL
ONSHORE FLOW THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND INTO MIDWEEK. A
SHORT WAVE DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH NCAL HAS BROUGHT BREEZY
CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON. ONSHORE PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL
STRENGHTEN FURTHER THIS EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
BRINGING STRONG GUSTY WINDS ESPECIALLY BELOW THE MOUNTAIN PASSES
OF KERN COUNTY AND MOJAVE DESERT AREA. STRONGER WIND POTENTIAL MAY
DEVELOP LATE MONDAY AS A DEEPER SHORT WAVE REACHES NCAL. THIS
SYSTEM OFF THE THE PAC NW COAST IS ACCOMPANIED BY A FETCH OF
SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE WITH PW VALUES OF 1.5 IN AND UPPER JET
120+KT. MODELS HAVE BEEN TRENDING BIT LOWER WITH PRECIPITATION
AMOUNTS AND NOT AS COLD. OPERATIONAL GFS AND EC IN BETTER
AGREEMENT WITH THE ENERGY AND POSITION OF UPPER TROUGH. ALTHOUGH
GFS MORE PROGRESSIVE AND DRIER THAN EC. MUCH OF THE GUIDANCE HAS
DECREASE THE POTENTIAL RAIN AMOUNTS OVER THE VALLEY. MOST OF THE
VORTICITY ENERGY MAY PUSH THROUGH NCAL INTO THE GREAT BASIN MONDAY
NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. PRECIPITATION THREAT MAY BE FOCUS OVER
THE MOUNTAINS WITH LITTLE OR LIGHT AMOUNTS IN THE SAN JOAQUIN
VALLEY. SNOW LEVELS MAY LOWER NEAR 9KFT WITH 700MB TEMPERATURES AT
1C DEGREES. AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW COULD FALL OVER THE HIGH SIERRA
MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. THE PRECIPITATION THREAT SHOULD
DECREASE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS THE MOISTURE ALONG A COLD FRONT
QUICKLY MOVES THROUGH CENTRAL CA DURING THE MORNING. THE ONE
EXCEPTION COULD BE THE SJV FACING SLOPES OF THE TEHACHAPIS AND
TULARE FOOTHILLS WHERE CLOUDS AND DRIZZLE MAY BE POSSIBLE WITH A
STRONG NW UPSLOPE WIND FLOW. A STRONG UPPER JET ORIENTED NW-SE
WILL BECOME ALIGNED ACROSS CALIFORNIA TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WINDS ACROSS THE TEHACHAPI
MOUNTAIN PASSES AND MOJAVE DESERT. A BUILDING RIDGE ACROSS THE
WEST WILL PROVIDE WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS INTO NEXT WEEKEND.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 1 AND 2 IS MEDIUM.
THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 3 THROUGH 7 IS MEDIUM.

THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED AS PART OF A TRIAL PROJECT CONDUCTED
BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD.
CERTAINTY LEVELS INCLUDE LOW...MEDIUM...AND HIGH. PLEASE VISIT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HNX/CERTAINTY.PHP /ALL LOWER CASE/ FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND/OR TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK.

&&

.CLIMATE...
             RECORDS
SITE DATE    HI_MAX:YEAR LO_MAX:YEAR HI_MIN:YEAR LO_MIN:YEAR

KFAT 05-26      103:1974     66:1946     68:1951     40:1953
KFAT 05-27      104:1974     55:1971     69:1896     46:1998
KFAT 05-28      107:1984     58:1953     69:2009     45:1927

KBFL 05-26      107:1951     68:1998     72:1979     40:1918
KBFL 05-27      106:1974     66:1971     75:1974     42:1917
KBFL 05-28      107:1973     67:1953     72:2009     43:1906
&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM PDT WEDNESDAY CAZ095-098-099.

&&

PUBLIC...MV
AVN/FW...DUDLEY
SYNOPSIS...WP

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Hazardous weather outlook, May 26, 6:40 PM PST, 5 hours 20 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
740 PM PDT SUN MAY 26 2013

CAZ095-098-099-272330-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY
DESERT-
740 PM PDT SUN MAY 26 2013

...WIND ADVISORY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS
AND DESERT.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO
/SFONPWHNX/.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THE WIND ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT MONDAY UNTIL 6 PM PDT
WEDNESDAY.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO /SFONPWHNX/.

.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.

DURFEE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 26, 6:08 PM PST, 5 hours 52 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
708 PM PDT SUN MAY 26 2013

CAZ096-097-280100-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
708 PM PDT SUN MAY 26 2013

...COOL AND SHOWERY WEATHER POSSIBLE LATE ON MEMORIAL DAY...

AN UNSEASONABLY COOL LOW PRESSURE AREA WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA LATE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL BRING BELOW
NORMAL TEMPERATURES TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. A FETCH OF SUBTROPICAL
MOISTURE MAY ACCOMPANY THE TROUGH...INCREASING THE THREAT OF
UNSETTLED WEATHER OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. SNOW SHOWERS MAY BE
POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGH SIERRA WITH SOME ACCUMULATIONS ABOVE 8500
FEET.

HIKERS...BACKPACKERS AND OTHER OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS ARE ADVISED TO
BE PREPARED FOR THE MUCH COOLER AND UNSETTLED WEATHER FOR EARLY
NEXT WEEK. MOTORIST SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR WET AND SLICK ROADS IF
TRAVELING TO THE HIGH COUNTRY.

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Special weather statement, May 26, 9:30 PM PST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
1030 PM PDT SUN MAY 26 2013

CAZ096-097-280400-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
1030 PM PDT SUN MAY 26 2013

...COOL AND SHOWERY WEATHER POSSIBLE LATE ON MEMORIAL DAY...

AN UNSEASONABLY COOL LOW PRESSURE AREA WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA LATE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL BRING BELOW
NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A FETCH OF SUBTROPICAL
MOISTURE MAY ACCOMPANY THE TROUGH...INCREASING THE THREAT OF
UNSETTLED WEATHER OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. SNOW SHOWERS MAY BE
POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGH SIERRA WITH SOME ACCUMULATIONS ABOVE 8500
FEET.

HIKERS...BACKPACKERS AND OTHER OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS ARE ADVISED TO
BE PREPARED FOR THE MUCH COOLER AND UNSETTLED WEATHER FOR THE NEXT
FEW DAYS. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR WET AND SLICK ROADS IF
TRAVELING TO THE HIGH COUNTRY.

SANGER

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: May 27, 12:00 AM PST to May 28, 9:00 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: May 27, 1:00 AM PST to May 28, 9:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

What these are

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

Every storm in California in 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in California, May 2013

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: 510110, 510109.