A deep, upper-level trough brought strong and gusty westerly winds to the mountains and deserts. Highest winds were along the desert slopes of the Coachella Valley, Apple/Lucerne Valleys and San Diego County 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.
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 deep, upper-level trough brought strong and gusty westerly winds to the mountains and deserts. Highest winds were along the desert slopes of the Coachella Valley, Apple/Lucerne Valleys and San Diego County deserts.
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 Mar 30, 2:30 AM PST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
330 AM PDT SUN MAR 30 2014
.SYNOPSIS...
A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE AND WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INLAND
THROUGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS MORNING BRINGING STRONGER ONSHORE
FLOW WITH GUSTY WEST WINDS TO AROUND 50 MPH IN THE MOUNTAINS AND
DESERTS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION ALONG AND WEST OF
THE MOUNTAINS. CONTINUED COOLING FOR MONDAY. FOR MONDAY NIGHT
THROUGH WEDNESDAY...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA
WILL BRING STRONG GUSTY WEST WINDS FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS
WITH ONE ROUND OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY
TUESDAY AND A SECOND ROUND FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY.
CONTINUED COOL WITH SMALLER CHANCES FOR LIGHT PRECIPITATION FOR
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...THEN DRY AND WARMER FOR NEXT WEEKEND WITH
STRENGTHENING HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE WEST COAST.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...
A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE AND WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INLAND
ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS MORNING. THIS WILL BRING
STRONGER ONSHORE FLOW WITH GUSTY WEST WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND
DESERTS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION ALONG AND WEST OF
THE MOUNTAINS. MOST RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE ONE TENTH OR LESS WITH
ISOLATED GREATER AMOUNTS ON THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES.
FOR MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FROM THE
GULF OF ALASKA WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST...THEN
INLAND THROUGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THIS WILL ALSO BRING STRONGER
ONSHORE FLOW WITH GUSTY WEST WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS AND
ALSO COOLING. IT IS EXPECTED TO BRING ONE ROUND OF PRECIPITATION FOR
LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING AND A SECOND FOR LATE
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. FOR LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY
MORNING...RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM ONE TENTH INCH
OR LESS NEAR THE COAST TO ONE HALF INCH IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH LOCAL
AMOUNTS TO 1 INCH. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL FALL TO 5000 TO 5500 FEET
WITH SNOWFALL OF A FEW INCHES POSSIBLE DOWN TO 5500 TO 6000 FEET.
FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED FOR LATE TUESDAY
NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. THERE IS GREATER UNCERTAINTY WITH THE TIMING...
TRACK...AND INTENSITY OF THIS ROUND OF PRECIPITATION. PRELIMINARY
FORECAST RAINFALL TOTALS RANGE FROM ONE QUARTER TO ONE THIRD INCH
NEAR THE COAST TO ONE HALF TO LOCALLY ONE INCH IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE
SNOW LEVEL WILL LOWER TO 4000 TO 4500 FEET.
CONTINUED COOLER AND GENERALLY DRY FOR THURSDAY. FOR FRIDAY...THE
GLOBAL MODELS STILL SHOW LARGER THAN AVERAGE UNCERTAINTY WITH A
WEAKER UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO A POSITION NOT TOO FAR
SOUTHWEST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THIS COULD BRING SMALL CHANCES OF
LIGHT PRECIPITATION TO SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA. WARMER AND DRY FOR NEXT
WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE STRENGTHENS OFF THE WEST COAST.
&&
.AVIATION...
300930Z...COASTS/VALLEYS...SCT-BKN STRATUS LAYERS WITH BASES
1500-2500 FT MSL WILL FILL IN WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE
MORNING WITH TOPS LIFTING TO NEAR 4000 FT. AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN OR
DRIZZLE THROUGH 17Z WITH VSBY LOCALLY REDUCED TO 3 TO 5 SM. LOW
CLOUDS BECOMING FEW-SCT 16-19Z. PATCHY STRATUS WITH BASES NEAR 2000
FT MSL REDEVELOPING TONIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING.
MTNS/DESERTS...SCT-BKN CLOUDS AOA 15000 FT MSL AND UNRESTRICTED VIS
THROUGH SUN MORNING. WEST WINDS GUSTING 35 TO 45 KT WILL BRING LLWS
AND MOD-STG UDDFS OVER AND E OF THE MTNS THROUGH THIS EVENING.
&&
.MARINE...
GUSTY W-NW WINDS AND CHOPPY COMBINED SEAS TO 8 FEET WILL CONTINUE
OVER THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS THROUGH EARLY MONDAY. WINDS WILL PEAK
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH GUSTS TO 25 KT. THERE IS A SLIGHT
CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH THE MORNING.
A STRONGER TROUGH MOVING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY WILL
BRING WEST WINDS WITH GUSTS 20 TO 30 KT AND COMBINED SEAS OF 7-8
FEET IN THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS. MORE SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED LATE
MONDAY INTO WEDNESDAY WITH THIS SYSTEM.
&&
.SKYWARN...
SKYWARN ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED. HOWEVER WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 2 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE APPLE AND
LUCERNE VALLEYS...COACHELLA VALLEY...RIVERSIDE COUNTY
MOUNTAINS...SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS...SAN DIEGO
COUNTY DESERTS...SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS.
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 5 AM PDT MONDAY FOR THE
WATERS FROM SAN MATEO POINT TO THE MEXICAN BORDER EXTENDING
30 TO 60 NM OUT INCLUDING SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND.
&&
PUBLIC...17
AVIATION/MARINE...SSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High winds occurred at the Burns Canyon RAWS between 0351 and 1151 PST on the 30th. During this time, a peak gust of 64 mph was recorded between 0551 and 0651 PST.
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, March 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: 508186.