Strong and gusty Santa Ana winds developed across parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Wind gusts between 59 and 68 MPH were reported in the mountains as well as some valley areas.
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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 LOX wrote it up.
Strong and gusty Santa Ana winds developed across parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Wind gusts between 59 and 68 MPH were reported in the mountains as well as some valley areas.
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 Los Angeles, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 1, 10:11 PM PST, 4 hours 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
1011 PM PST Thu Dec 1 2016
.SYNOPSIS...
Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds will affect mainly Ventura and
Los Angeles Counties tonight through Saturday. Temperatures will
be cooler than normal thru the period. High pressure will bring
warmer temperatures to the area Sunday, followed by a gradual
cooling trend early next week as low pressure moves by to the
north.
&&
.UPDATE...
The latest satellite imagery shows a trough of low pressure
digging into Mojave Desert this evening. A cold air mass settling
into the Great Basin this evening will develop surface high
pressure and develop an offshore flow pattern across the area
into Friday and Saturday. Strong upper-level support will bring
widespread windy conditions to Los Angeles and Ventura Counties
through the end of the week. Damaging winds will occur across the
mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties along with Santa
Clarita Valley. Isolated to local wind gusts to 60 mph cannot be
ruled across the Los Angeles and Ventura County Valleys. A Wind
Advisory was expanded to the San Gabriel and Antelope Valleys from
Friday morning through early Saturday afternoon. An update will be
issued shortly.
&&
.SHORT TERM...(THU-SUN)
A cold upper level trof is dropping south into the Great Basin
today and will be setting up a strong Santa Ana wind pattern for
the next couple days. Models appears to have settled on a solution
that is favorable for a strong event with great upper support and
decent, though not great offshore pressure gradients. The NAM has
been consistent since yesterday showing 55-65kt northeast winds
near 850 mb and even down to almost 900 mb which is around 3300
ft. Models have tended to over-forecast these kinds of events in
the past but given the consistency and that we're within 24 hours
of the event confidence is certainly growing in a strong event.
Warnings will go into effect later tonight for LA/Ventura
mountains and Santa Clarita Valley while advisories will be up for
most of the remainder of LA/Ventura counties. Small pockets of
those advisory areas could see brief warning level gusts such as
Porter Ranch and the elevated parts of eastern Ventura County but
for the most part a strong advisory should suffice.
The one difference in the models today was the shift to Saturday
for the strongest offshore gradient. Although the trof shifts
south into Mexico by then, the winds near the 850 level are
stronger Saturday so at this point don't see too much difference
in overall wind speeds between the two days. Saturday's winds will
have a somewhat more easterly component which will likely result
in a slight decrease in some areas but an increase in others.
Still a cold event with temps mostly in the 60s at lower
elevations and 30s/40s in the mtns. Slightly warmer most areas
Saturday, especially inland due the weakening cold advection, but
no warmer than lower 70s at best.
The ridge continues to build into the area Sunday for additional
warming inland, but onshore trends should offset most of that for
coastal areas.
.LONG TERM...(MON-THU)
The GFS has backed off considerably from yesterdays solution which
had suggested some chances for rain early next week. Both the
ECMWF and GFS now agree that any precip should stay well north of
the area. However a return to onshore flow and overall weak
troffing over the area will lead to cooling for all areas through
Tuesday, though not quite as much as was expected yesterday. Both
models show an upper level ridge building over the state around
mid week for a warming trend.
&&
.AVIATION...02/0600Z.
At 06Z, there was no marine layer nor was there a marine inversion
at KLAX.
VFR conditions are expected across the forecast area through
the period, except for MVFR vsbys late tonight/Fri morning in the
Salinas Valley. Main story will be the widespread strong north
to northeast winds across the region late tonight through Fri
night. Winds will be strongest across L.A. and VTU counties.
There will be areas of LLWS and stg UDDFS across much of those
counties late tonight through Fri night.
KLAX...With respect to cigs and vsbys, high confidence in the 06z
TAFs with VFR conditions through the period. Much less confidence
in the wind forecast. There is a 30 percent chance of north to
northeast winds exceeding 10 kt at any time during the period, but
mainly between 10z and 20z Fri. There will likely be LLWS at times
through Friday evening.
KBUR...With respect to cigs and vsbys, high confidence in the 06z
TAFs with VFR conditions through the period. Much less confidence
in the wind forecast. Winds will likely be variable and erratic,
but for the most part should be strong and gusty from the n to ne
from 17z Fri through at least 00z Sat. There is a 20 to 30
percent chance that strong winds will start as early as 12z Fri.
There will likely be LLWS at times through Friday morning, and
possibly at times through the evening.
&&
.MARINE...01/800 PM.
Moderate to high confidence that Small Craft Advisory level winds
and seas will persist across the outer waters tonight through
Friday night. Across the outer waters, conds will remain close to
SCA levels Sat through Sun morning, then SCA conds are likely
again Sun afternoon through Mon.
For the inner waters s of Point Conception, there is high confidence
Small Craft Advisory level ne winds with choppy seas will affect
the area mainly near shore from s of Ventura thru Santa Monica and
in the San Pedro Chanel to Catalina Island on Friday, with
hazardous boating conditions at times. Locally gusty ne winds will
persist in this area thru Sat morning.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...01/200pm.
Strong upper level flow coupled with high pressure over the Great
Basin will bring a strong Santa Ana wind event to Los Angeles and
Ventura Counties Friday and Saturday. Though much of the area has
received around 1 inch of rain over the last two weeks, the
vegetation (fuels) remain receptive to large fire growth under
red flag weather conditions.
Over the coastal and valley areas (including the Santa Monica
Mountains), humidities will generally lower into the 12 to 15
percent range on Friday and 8 to 15 percent range on Saturday.
Red flag conditions are expected Friday afternoon through Saturday
afternoon as a result. The previous Fire Weather Watch will be
upgraded to a Red Flag warning. The Los Angeles County Coastal
Plain and the San Gabriel Valley have also been added to the Red
Flag Warning as these winds will affect a larger area than usual
Santa Ana events because of the cold air.
Over the mountains, the cold temperatures will keep relative
humidities generally above 20 percent on Friday, but could lower
into the 10 to 20 percent range on Saturday. There is a chance
for Red Flag conditions on Saturday as a result, and a Fire
Weather Watch will be issued to address that.
Those handling potential fire ignition sources must exercise
extra caution as extreme fire behavior and rapid fire growth is
expected if any fire were to be started. This includes those
lighting fires for warmth considering the cold conditions.
&&
.LOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...Freeze Watch in effect from late Friday night through
Saturday morning for zone 37. (See LAXNPWLOX).
Wind Advisory in effect until 3 AM PST Friday for zones
39-46-52>54-88. (See LAXNPWLOX).
Wind Advisory in effect from 7 AM Friday to 2 PM PST Saturday
for zone 40. (See LAXNPWLOX).
Wind Advisory in effect from 3 AM Friday to 2 PM PST Saturday
for zones 41-44-45. (See LAXNPWLOX).
High Wind Warning in effect from 3 AM Friday to 2 PM PST
Saturday for zones 46-53-54-88. (See LAXNPWLOX).
Wind Advisory in effect from 10 AM to 6 PM PST Friday for
zone 59. (See LAXNPWLOX).
Red Flag Warning in effect from noon Friday to 6 PM PST
Saturday for zones 240-241-244>246-547-548. (See LAXRFWLOX).
Fire Weather Watch in effect from Saturday morning through
Saturday afternoon for zone 254. (See LAXRFWLOX).
PZ...Small Craft Advisory in effect from 6 AM to 9 PM PST Friday
for zones 650-655. (See LAXMWWLOX).
Small Craft Advisory in effect until 3 AM PST Saturday for
zones 670-673-676. (See LAXMWWLOX).
&&
.HAZARD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK...(SUN-THU)
Gusty northwest winds are expected Sunday through Tuesday.
&&
PUBLIC...MW
AVIATION...DB
MARINE...Sirard
FIRE...Kittell
SYNOPSIS...Sirard
weather.gov/losangelesThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The RAWS sensor at Malibu Hills reported north to northeast wind gusts between 59 and 64 MPH.
Strong north to northeast winds were recorded in the mountains of Los Angeles county. The RAWS sensor at Camp Nine reported wind gusts between 59 and 67 MPH while the RAWS sensor at Mill Creek reported gusts between 58 and 68 MPH.
Strong north to northeast winds were recorded in the mountains of Ventura county. Wind gusts in excess of 58 MPH were reported.
The RAWS sensor at Saugus reported northeast wind gusts up to 60 MPH.
North to northeast wind gusts up to 58 MPH were reported in the interior valleys of Ventura county.
The RAWS sensor at Cheeseboro reported north to northeast wind gusts up to 58 MPH.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2016
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: 668942, 668944, 668945, 668948, 668950, 668951.