Name: High Wind in California, April 20, 2017
Start: 2017-04-20T06:27
End: 2017-04-20T17:40
Location: California

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

A low pressure system pushed through the Pacific Northwest and Northern California on April 20 producing a strong pressure gradient over Central California. This resulted in a period of increased winds over the Kern County Mountains and Deserts.

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 Apr 20, 1:02 AM PST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 20, 1:02 AM PST, 5 hours 25 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA
202 AM PDT Thu Apr 20 2017

.SYNOPSIS...A weak weather disturbance will move across the area
today bringing a few clouds and an increase in winds. High
pressure will then build over the region Friday through Sunday
with a warming trend and dry weather.

&&

.DISCUSSION...Other than some chaff, radar is very quiet tonight
as the next Pacific system moves to the north of the forecast
area. Satellite and regional radars show the precipitation limited
to the Bay Area and Sacramento with movement to the east. Given
this trajectory and forecast models now keeping all precipitation
north of Yosemite I have removed all pops for today. GOES-R 3.90um
near imagery does shows some clouds over the far southern San
Joaquin Valley and adjacent mountains but these are thin.

Forecast models push the Northern California system rapidly east
today with surface pressure gradients maxing out this afternoon
over the Kern County Mountains and Desert. Latest high resolution
model data suggests winds will be in the advisory levels with
gusts to around 50 mph. The current wind advisory looks on track.

By tonight as the trough moves east, models are in good agreement
in building a ridge over the region Friday and Saturday.
Temperatures will warm up considerably with Saturday being the
warmest day. By Sunday models bring a short wave trough across the
Pacific Northwest and this will likely just bring some high clouds
and a little cooling but that's about it.

Next week looks a little wet over the Sierra as models continue to
prog some moisture making it as far south as Yosemite on Tuesday
and Wednesday. As of now the remainder of the area looks to be dry
and a little cooler.

&&

.AVIATION...
Surface winds gusts are expected to exceed 45 knots across the ridge
tops and below the passes in Kern County Mountains and Deserts thru
06Z Fri. Areas of MVFR ceilings in upslope low clouds along the
valley facing slopes of the Southern Sierra Nevada and Kern County
Mountains thru 06Z Fri. Otherwise, VFR conditions can be expected
during the next 24 hours.

&&

.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...
Wind Advisory from 5 AM early this morning to 10 PM PDT this
evening CAZ095-099.

&&

public...Dudley
avn/fw...DS
synopsis...Dudley

weather.gov/hanford

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: April 20, 6:27 AM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Bird Springs Pass RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 79 mph.

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: April 20, 5:40 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS

The AWOS at the Mojave Airport reported a peak wind gust of 62 mph.

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

More

Every storm in California in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in California, April 2017

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: 693040, 693039.