Strong surface high pressure built over the Great Basin created strong, gusty northeast winds in the mountains, western foothills and inland valleys, with the strongest winds on the 13th and 14th. The highest wind gusts occurred in the San Diego County foothills and inland Orange County, including the Santa Ana Mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
Strong surface high pressure built over the Great Basin created strong, gusty northeast winds in the mountains, western foothills and inland valleys, with the strongest winds on the 13th and 14th. The highest wind gusts occurred in the San Diego County foothills and inland Orange County, including the Santa Ana Mountains. Winds toppled trees near San Bernadino, and downed fiber optic lines near Santiago Canyon in Orange County.
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 12, 9:30 PM PST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
930 PM PST SUN JAN 12 2014
.SYNOPSIS...
STRONG GUSTY WINDS FROM THE NORTHEAST WILL DOMINATE THE MOUNTAINS...
FOOTHILLS AND INLAND VALLEYS THROUGH WEDNESDAY...GRADUALLY WEAKENING
LATE IN THE WEEK. THE OFFSHORE FLOW AND A STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH
PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BRING VERY WARM WEATHER AND VERY LOW HUMIDITY
MOST OF THIS WEEK. THE WARMEST DAYS WILL BE TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...
SKIES WERE MOSTLY CLEAR THIS EVENING...WITH THE OFFSHORE FLOW
DEVELOPING. THE LAST PATCHES OF FOG OVER THE SOUTHERN COASTAL WATERS
HAVE DISSIPATED. A FEW WIND GUSTS SO FAR INCLUDE HIGHLAND SPRINGS IN
RIVERSIDE COUNTY AT 48 MPH...SILL HILL IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY AT 50 MPH
AND FREMONT CANYON AT 46 MPH. THE HUMIDITY HAS LOWERED TO 10 PERCENT
AT HIGHLAND SPRINGS ALREADY. LOCAL WRF CROSS SECTIONS CONTINUE TO
SHOW STRONG ISENTROPIC PACKING ABOVE THE RIDGES BOTH MONDAY AND
TUESDAY...WITH STRONGEST FORCING TUESDAY. WINDS ABOVE 700 MB WILL BE
RELATIVELY LIGHT...SO MOST OF THE FORCING WILL BE NEAR THE SURFACE
AS PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL BE AROUND 14 MB OFFSHORE FROM CENTRAL
NEVADA TO SAN DIEGO MONDAY AND AROUND 17 MB OFFSHORE TUESDAY.
SO...EXPECT ISOLATED 60 MPH GUSTS RIGHT BELOW THE MOUNTAIN CRESTS
AND THROUGH CANYONS MONDAY AND SOMEWHAT MORE WIDESPREAD GUSTS OF
THAT SPEED OR HIGHER TUESDAY. IT LOOKS LIKE THE WIND COULD EASILY
LAST AT THAT INTENSITY INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. REGARDING
TEMPERATURES...WE WILL HAVE MOSTLY 70S WEST OF THE MTNS MONDAY AS
850 MB TEMPS STAY ABOUT STEADY...BUT WARMING ALOFT TUE-WED WILL
BRING MOSTLY 80S THEN. A FEW DAILY MAX TEMP RECORDS COULD BE SET.
WINDY AREAS WILL BE QUITE MILD AT NIGHT...BUT ISOLATED VALLEY
LOCATIONS THAT GO CALM COULD BE QUITE CHILLY...LOCALLY NEAR 32 FOR
MIN TEMPS...DUE TO THE LOW DEW POINTS AND CLEAR SKIES.
OTHERWISE...THE HIGH AMPLITUDE UPPER RIDGE WILL COVER THE WEST COAST
THROUGH THU/FRI AS A COUPLE OF DEEP TROUGHS MOVE THROUGH THE
CENTRAL/EASTERN US THIS WEEK...AND THE BROAD TROUGHING OVER THE
NORTH PACIFIC STARTS TO MOVE EAST INTO THE NE PACIFIC. THE BLOCKING
HIGH WILL WEAKEN OVER THE WEST COAST THIS WEEKEND FOR SOME
COOLING...BUT MODEL SOLUTIONS INDICATE SOME STRENGTHENING OF THE
RIDGE AGAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH SURFACE OFFSHORE FLOW CONTINUING.
THERE IS STILL SOME SMALL HOPE FOR PRECIP AT SOME POINT NEXT WEEK
(JAN 19-25) DUE TO THE BROAD TROUGHING IN THE PACIFIC AND THE
BLOCKING RIDGE BEING MOSTLY OVER LAND INSTEAD OF TO OUR WEST OVER
THE OCEAN...SO IF WE CAN GET A DEEP ENOUGH SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH
THE BROAD CENTRAL/EAST PACIFIC TROUGH...WE COULD POTENTIALLY SEE OUR
FIRST RAIN SINCE DEC 19. DESPITE THIS LONG DRY SPELL...WE ARE STILL
FAR FROM THE ALL-TIME WINTER RECORD OF 56 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH NO
MEASURABLE PRECIP BEYOND A TRACE AT SAN DIEGO...FROM DEC 8 1947
THROUGH FEB 1 1948.
&&
.AVIATION...
130400Z...THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...UNRESTRICTED VIS AND SCT CLDS AOA
20000 FT MSL THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST AREA. GUSTY NE TO E WINDS HAVE
SURFACED AT KONT AND SEVERAL OTHER LOCATIONS. THESE WINDS WILL
INCREASE AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD THROUGH THE NIGHT...BECOMING
15-30 KT WITH GUSTS 35-50 KT OVER THE MTNS...THRU AND BELOW
PASSES/CANYONS...AND INTO THE COASTAL SLOPES/FOOTHILLS. AS A
RESULT...STG-SVR UDDFS/ROTORS/LLWS WILL OCCUR OVER AND W/SW OF THE
MTNS THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. LLWS IS LIKELY AT KSNA AND KCRQ BEFORE
THE STG WINDS REACH THE SFC. GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
MONDAY NIGHT.
&&
.MARINE...
A NEW 4-5 FOOT NORTHWEST SWELL WILL ARRIVE MONDAY...BUT DUE TO THE
STEEP ANGLE OF THE SWELL AND PERIODS OF ONLY 14-15 SECONDS...MUCH OF
THE SWELL ENERGY WILL AVOID OUR BEACHES. THEREFORE...SURF WILL BE
MAINLY 3-5 FEET WITH SETS TO 6 FEET ON MONDAY. STRONG RIP CURRENTS
ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS ELEVATED SURF. SWELL AND SURF WILL BEGIN TO
LOWER ON TUESDAY.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
A RED FLAG WARNING CONTINUES FOR ALL MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY AREAS AND
INLAND ORANGE COUNTY TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
SANTA ANA CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP TONIGHT AND CONTINUE
THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY RESULTING IN AN EXTENDED WARM AND DRY
PERIOD WITH VERY LOW RH AND OFFSHORE FLOW. AREAS OF NORTHEAST WINDS
OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 45 TO 55 MPH WILL DEVELOP NEAR THE
COASTAL FOOTHILLS SUN NIGHT THROUGH WED. ISOLATED WIND GUSTS OF 60
MPH OR MORE WILL OCCUR IN THE OFFSHORE WIND PRONE LOCATIONS IN THE
SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS...BELOW CUYAMACA PEAK IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY...AND
LOCALLY BELOW THE CAJON AND BANNING PASS AREAS. THE WINDS WILL
WEAKEN WED AFTERNOON THROUGH THU...BUT THE LOW RH WILL CONTINUE INTO
FRI.
&&
SKYWARN ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED. HOWEVER WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 6 PM PST WEDNESDAY FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY
COASTAL AREAS...RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INCLUDING THE
SAN JACINTO RANGER DISTRICT OF THE SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL
FOREST...SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE
INLAND EMPIRE...SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INCLUDING
THE MOUNTAIN TOP AND FRONT COUNTRY RANGER DISTRICTS OF THE
SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST...SANTA ANA
MOUNTAINS-INCLUDING THE TRABUCO RANGER DISTRICT OF THE
CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM PST TUESDAY FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY
COASTAL AREAS.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 PM PST TUESDAY FOR THE RIVERSIDE
COUNTY MOUNTAINS...SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS...SAN
BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE...
SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 6 PM MONDAY TO NOON PST WEDNESDAY FOR THE
SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS...SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 6 PM PST WEDNESDAY FOR THE SAN DIEGO
COUNTY INLAND VALLEYS...SAN DIEGO COUNTY
MOUNTAINS-INCLUDING THE PALOMAR AND DESCANSO RANGER
DISTRICTS OF THE CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM PST MONDAY FOR THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY
MOUNTAINS...SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS.
PZ...NONE.
&&
PUBLIC/FIRE...MAXWELL
AVIATION/MARINE...TSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A peak gust of 60 mph was recorded at the Hellhole Canyon mesonet between 0050-0150 PST on the 13th.|A peak gust of 60 mph was recorded at the Big Black Mountain mesonet between 2100-2200 PST on the 14th.
High winds began at the Fremont Canyon RAWS between 0000 and 0051 PST and ended between 1551 and 1651 PST on the 14th. During this time, winds were sustained 40 mph or higher with most gusts over 65 mph A peak gust of 77 mph was measured between 0351 and 0451 PST. Nearby, fiber optic lines were downed on Santiago Canyon Road in the vicinity of Portola Hills.
High winds began at the Sill Hill mesonet between 0200-0210 PST on the 14th and ended between 2350-0000 PST the same day. During this period, winds mostly gusted over 60 mph, with a lull between 1140-1630 PST. A peak gust of 88 mph was recorded between 2120-2130 PST. |High winds occurred at the Buckman Springs mesonet between 2030-2130 PST on the 14th. During this time, a peak gust of 61 mph was recorded between 2100-2110 PST.|High winds occurred at the Boulder Creek mesonet between 2020-2040 PST on the 14th. During this time, a peak gust of 58 mph was recorded.
Strong winds toppled a tree at Mt. Vernon elementary school in San Bernardino, damaging the roof of an administration building. Wind gusts were 55 mph in the area.
The Sky Valley mesonet recorded wind gusts of 58 mph between 1551 and 1601 PST on the 14th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2014
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: 494887, 494885, 494886, 494883, 494884.