A surface high over the Great Basin brought strong winds during the morning hours on the 11th and 12 of February. Strongest winds occurred in San Diego County on the 12th.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 surface high over the Great Basin brought strong winds during the morning hours on the 11th and 12 of February. Strongest winds occurred in San Diego County on the 12th.
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 Feb 11, 3:31 AM PST, 5 hours 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
331 AM PST WED FEB 11 2015
.SYNOPSIS...
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN AND LOW
PRESSURE DEEPENING OVER BAJA CALIFORNIA WILL BRING A SANTA ANA
WEATHER PATTERN TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.
A STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL ALSO DEVELOP AND LEAD TO VERY WARM
TEMPERATURES...ABOUT 10 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WEST OF THE
MOUNTAINS. GUSTY OFFSHORE WINDS ARE FORECAST THROUGH FRIDAY WITH
THE STRONGEST WINDS LIKELY DURING THE DAY THURSDAY...WHICH COULD
BE STRONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE ISOLATED REPORTS OF DAMAGE. CONTINUED
VERY WARM ON SATURDAY BUT WITH LIGHTER WINDS. COOLER SUNDAY AS AN
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES ACROSS NORTHERN MEXICO.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...
SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS ARE BEGINNING TO CREEP UP THIS MORNING
AS THE GREAT BASIN HIGH BECOMES BETTER ESTABLISHED. THE SAN DIEGO
TO TONOPAH NORTH GRADIENT IS UP TO ALMOST 10 MB WHILE THE EAST
COMPONENT IS NOT AS STRONG BUT IS ALSO PICKING UP. STRONGEST WINDS
ATTM ARE IN THE SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS WHERE FREMONT CANYON SITE IS
GUSTING TO NEAR 50 MPH. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN TODAY IN
THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION WITH THE STRONGEST WIND GUSTS LIKELY
TO OCCUR THURSDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON WHEN THE GRADIENT IS
MAXIMIZED AND BECOMES MORE EASTERLY...A MORE FAVORABLE FETCH FOR
OUR SOUTHERN CANYONS AND PASSES. THE UPPER LEVEL CUTOFF LOW WILL
ALSO BE DIVING SOUTH INTO MEXICO ON THURSDAY AND BRINGING SOME
UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT FOR THE STRONGEST WIND GUSTS...WHICH ARE MOST
LIKELY TO MEET OR EXCEED OUR HIGH WIND CRITERIA. THE STRONGEST
WINDS POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS 80-90 MPH ARE LIKELY THROUGH THE SAN
DIEGO COUNTY PASSES. WINDS WILL ALSO BE STRONG THROUGH OTHER
FAVORABLE PASSES AND CANYONS AND IMMEDIATELY WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS
IN THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE VALLEYS...BUT NOT LIKELY TO BE QUITE
AS STRONG. WIND GUSTS MAY EVEN SURFACE ALL THE WAY TO THE BEACHES
POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS 30-35 MPH...HENCE THE WIND ADVISORY THAT WAS
ISSUED TUESDAY FOR THE COASTAL STRIP.
CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY IMPROVE DURING THE DAY FRIDAY AS THE
SYNOPTIC PATTERN RELAXES...ALTHOUGH GUSTY WINDS WILL LIKELY
CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY...JUST NOT REACHING INTO ALERT CRITERIA.
STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGING AND DOWNSLOPING THROUGH THE WESTERN
MOUNTAIN SLOPES WILL ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO ABNORMAL TEMPERATURES
ACROSS ALL AREAS WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS WHERE TEMPERATURES WILL
RANGE BETWEEN 10 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH FRIDAY.
THE AFOREMENTIONED UPPER LEVEL CUTOFF LOW WILL STALL NEAR THE BAJA
PENINSULA THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK AND THEN GET PICKED UP BY THE
EXTENSION OF THE DEEP CANADIAN UPPER TROUGH AND EJECT DUE
EAST...LATEST MODEL SOLUTIONS KEEP THIS SYSTEM TOO FAR SOUTH OF
THE SAN DIEGO REGION TO SPAWN PRECIPITATION...JUST SOME PATCHES OF
MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS AT TIMES SUNDAY THROUGH
MONDAY. THROUGH MID NEXT WEEK ANOTHER EAST PAC RIDGE BRIEFLY
FORMS AND THEN THE PATTERN LOOKS TO BECOME MORE ZONAL. NOT MUCH
CONFIDENCE IN THE PATTERN NEXT WEEK DUE TO SO MUCH VARIABILITY IN
THE ENSEMBLES...ALTHOUGH NW FLOW PATTERN SHOULD GENERALLY BRING
MORE SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES TO OUR REGION COMPARED TO THE ABNORMALLY
WARM TEMPS THIS WEEK.
&&
.AVIATION...
111000Z...CLEAR SKIES WILL CONTINUE TODAY AND TONIGHT. NORTHEAST
WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN THIS MORNING...BUT NORTH WINDS IN THE
KPSP/KTRM AREA. FOR MANY LOCATIONS WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS THERE WILL
BE SOME TIME OF LLWS BEFORE THOSE WINDS SURFACE. WINDS WILL BE
STRONGEST THROUGH AND BELOW THE MOUNTAIN PASSES AND IN THE FOOTHILLS
AND THERE WILL BE SOME STRONG UP/DOWN DRAFTS NEAR CRESTS. WINDS WILL
STRENGTHEN FURTHER TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD
ACROSS INLAND AREAS.
&&
.MARINE...
200 AM...NO HAZARDOUS MARINE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH
SUNDAY. HOWEVER...LOCALIZED NORTHEASTERLY WIND GUSTS COULD EXCEED 20
KNOTS OVER THE INNER COASTAL WATERS TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
SANTA ANA WINDS OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES WILL STRENGTHEN AND EXPAND
INTO THE VALLEYS AND FOOTHILLS TODAY. THE STRONGEST AND MOST
WIDESPREAD SANTA ANA WINDS WILL SURFACE THURSDAY. VERY LOW
HUMIDITIES AND STRONG WINDS WILL RAISE THE FIRE WEATHER THREAT.
HOWEVER THE GREEN-UP (SIGNIFICANT DECEMBER RAINS TRIGGERED) IN THE
FUELS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS WILL KEEP THE THREAT BELOW RED
FLAG CRITERIA.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST FRIDAY FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY
INLAND AREAS...RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS...SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTY MOUNTAINS...SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY
VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE...SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS...
SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS...SAN GORGONIO PASS NEAR BANNING...
SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST FRIDAY FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY
COASTAL AREAS...SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS.
PZ...NONE.
&&
PUBLIC/FIRE WEATHER...BROTHERTON
AVIATION/MARINE...MMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
822 AM PST WED FEB 11 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0651 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 ENE TUSTIN FOOTHILLS 33.81N 117.71W
02/11/2015 M55 MPH ORANGE CA MESONET
MESONET STATION FREMONT CANYON /FRCC1/
0600 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 8 N PORTOLA HILLS 33.80N 117.62W
02/11/2015 M52 MPH ORANGE CA MESONET
MESONET STATION PLEASANTS PEAK /EW3131/
&&
NWS SAN DIEGO CA
IRIS SYSTEMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
For a period of 1 hr winds were sustained in the mid 30s with a peak gust of 60 mph.
High winds occurred at the Sill Hill mesonet between 1950PST on the 11th and 1500PST on the 12th. During this time, winds were sustained out of the E at 35-50 mph with most gusts in the high 50s to mid 60s. However, a peak gust of 82 mph was recorded between 0750 and 0800PST on the 12th. Strong winds also occurred at the Big Black Mountain (peak gust of 66 mph between 1047 and 1057PST on the 12th) and Boulder Creek (peak gust of 60 mph between 0830 and 0840PST on the 12th) mesonet stations.
A peak wind gust of 58 mph was reported at the Otay Mountain mesonet station between 0714 PST and 0814 PST on the 12th. Sustained winds in the 30s with gusts in the 40s and low 50s were reported between 2014 PST on the 11th and 1514 PST on the 12th. CBS 8 reported a 50 foot tree downed in El Cajon.
CBS 8 reported a large (approximately 75-foot tall) eucalyptus tree falling on a car in Encinitas due to strong easterly winds. The report also noted a large tree down in the Rancho Santa Fe area.
For a period of 1 hour winds were sustained in the upper 30s with a peak gust of 63 mph.
The Pleasants Peak mesonet station reported sustained ENE to ESE winds in the low to mid 40s (mph) from 0730 to 0830PST, with a peak gust of 66 mph between 0730 and 0800PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2015
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: 563598, 563579, 563578, 563582, 563597, 563590.