High Wind in California, March 22, 2016

Name: High Wind in California, March 22, 2016
Start: 2016-03-22T03:32
End: 2016-03-22T23:00
Location: California

March 22, 2016 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 1 county or zone

Eastward moving cold frontal passage associated with a low pressure system over northern California and southeastward moving upper level jet created high winds for the Kern County Mountains and Desert areas.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

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 Mar 22, 2:43 AM PST, 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 22, 2:43 AM PST, 49 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
343 AM PDT TUE MAR 22 2016

.SYNOPSIS...
A FEW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING AS A WEAK STORM SYSTEM
EXITS THE REGION. OTHERWISE...STRONG WINDS WILL BE PRESENT ACROSS
MUCH OF KERN COUNTY AND THE WEST SIDE OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
THROUGH LATE TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO BUILD OVER CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA ON WEDNESDAY INTO THE END OF THE WEEK...RESULTING IN DRY
WEATHER AND A WARMING TREND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CONTINUES TO SHIFT SOUTHEAST
INTO NEVADA THIS MORNING...WITH ONLY LINGERING SHOWERS REMAINING
ACROSS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. IN THE PAST 6 HOURS...ONLY A FEW SPOTS
IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY PICKED UP A HUNDREDTH OF AN INCH...WHILE
THE FOOTHILLS RECEIVED UP TO TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH. ISOLATED
SHOWERS ARE NOW CONFINED TO KERN COUNTY WITH THE HIGH RES MODELS
QUICKLY DRYING OUT THE AREA BY 18Z.

AS THE UPPER TROUGH EXITS SOUTHEAST INTO NEVADA AND UTAH...SURFACE
LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS OVER SOUTHERN NEVADA WHILE SURFACE HIGH
PRESSURE STRENGTHENS ACROSS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. THIS WILL RESULT
IN STRONG WINDS FROM THE WEST AS SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS
TIGHTEN...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT.
WIND GUSTS FROM THE WEST BETWEEN 60 AND 75 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE
AND MAY CREATE DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS BELOW THE MOUNTAIN
PASSES. ADDITIONALLY...THESE STRONG WINDS MAY RESULT IN LOW
VISIBILITIES DUE TO BLOWING DUST. BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL ALSO BE
OBSERVED ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. WINDS ARE
FORECAST TO SLOWLY SUBSIDE THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO BUILD EAST OVER CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY INTO THE WEEKEND...RESULTING IN DRY WEATHER
AND A WARMING TREND. THE WARMEST DAY OF THE WEEK LOOKS TO BE
SUNDAY...WHERE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE
MID 70S TO LOW 80S...BETWEEN 5 AND 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE
END OF MARCH.

UNSETTLED WEATHER MAY POSSIBLY RETURN TO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA EARLY
NEXT WEEK...HOWEVER CONFIDENCE IS VERY LOW AT THIS TIME.
REGARDLESS...A COOLING TREND IS IN STORE FOR AT LEAST THE FIRST
FEW DAYS OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...AREAS OF IFR CEILINGS AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS DUE TO
SHOWERS OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS
THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY. WIND GUSTS OF 50 KNOTS OR HIGHER THROUGH AND
BELOW THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAIN PASSES THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY.
OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGHOUT THE REGION.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

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

CERTAINTY LEVELS INCLUDE LOW...MEDIUM...AND HIGH. PLEASE VISIT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HNX/CERTAINTY.PHP FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
AN/OR TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING CAZ095-098-099.

WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING
CAZ089-091.

&&

PUBLIC...RILEY
AVN/FW...DCH
SYNOPSIS...RILEY

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 21, 5:07 AM PST, 22 hours 25 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
607 AM PDT MON MAR 21 2016

CAZ089-091-221300-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
607 AM PDT MON MAR 21 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WEST SIDE OF THE SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY.

...GUSTY WINDS TUESDAY...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

* WINDS: NORTHWEST WINDS 15-25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.

* TIMING: TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: KETTLEMAN...LOS BANOS...LEMOORE AND AVENAL.

* IMPACTS: TRAVEL MAY BE DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE
  VEHICLES DUE TO STRONG CROSSWINDS. PACHECO PASS...SUNFLOWER
  VALLEY...AND HIGHWAYS 41 AND 152...AND INTERSTATE 5 WILL BE MOST
  IMPACTED.

* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS
  SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.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.

CAZ095-098-099-221300-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
607 AM PDT MON MAR 21 2016

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

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 11 PM PDT
TUESDAY...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.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.

BEAN

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: March 22, 3:32 AM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

Blue Max RAWS report of wind gusts at 75 mph at 0332 PST on March 22.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: March 22, 5:14 AM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

Jawbone Canyon RAWS report of wind gusts at 73 mph at 0514 PST on March 22.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: March 22, 6:27 AM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 74 kt (85 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

Bird Springs Pass RAWS report of wind gusts at 85 mph at 0627 PST on March 22.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: March 22, 7:13 AM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Cache Creek NWS APRS mesonet report of wind gusts at 62 mph at 0713 PST on March 22.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: March 22, 7:13 AM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Mesonet 13 ENE Lebec report of wind gusts at 59 mph at 1000 PST on March 22.

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 2016 Every state in 2016 This day in weather history Warnings in California, March 2016

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: 627069, 627070, 627071, 627072, 627073.