Name: High Wind in California, April 26, 2017
Start: 2017-04-26T14:26
End: 2017-04-26T20:14
Location: California

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 strong northwest flow aloft brought a series of shortwave troughs north of Central California between the 26th and 28th of April. The first of these systems produced a strong pressure gradient over Central California during the afternoon and evening of the 26th resulting in a period of increased winds over the Kern County Mountains and Deserts with widespread gusts between 45 and 55 mph and a few wind prone areas reporting gusts between 65 and 80 mph.

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 26, 1:37 PM PST, 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 26, 1:37 PM PST, 49 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA
237 PM PDT Wed Apr 26 2017

.SYNOPSIS...A low pressure system north of our area will bring
increased winds through the end of the work week along with a
slight chance of some mountain showers tonight. Lighter winds,
seasonable temperatures and dry weather will then prevail this
weekend into early next week as high pressure strengthens over
the region.

&&

.DISCUSSION...A strong PAC shortwave moving across the PAC NW has
spread increased cloud cover southward across CA today as noted by
satellite imagery and surface observations. The clouds cover has
been most significant from Fresno County northward while the
cloud cover has been less prevalent south of Fresno County.

18Z WRF indicating a cold front associated with this system will
push southward through our CWFA tonight which will bring a period
of increased winds over the Kern County Mountains and Deserts,
most noticeably along the ridge tops and below the passes this
evening. A Wind Advisory remains in effect for these areas through
500 am PDT Thursday. Upslope conditions on the valley facing side
of the Kern County Mountains and in the south end of the San
Joaquin Valley will result in a few showers tonight and Thursday
morning in these areas. Temperatures will remain slightly below
seasonal normals.

The WRF is also still indicating a deepening trough over the
Great Basin while and upper ridge amplifies off the CA coast on
Thursday Night. A moisture starved shortwave is progged to drop
southeast on the back side of the trough on Friday which will
result in increased p-grads over our area and subsequently
increased winds over the San Joaquin Valley, most noticeably
along the west side Friday afternoon and evening. The winds will
diminish by Saturday morning as the ridge builds inland and
p-grads relax.

As the ridge pushes inland this weekend into the early part of
next week, a warming and drying trend will take place across our
area and temperatures will rise to above seasonal normals. The
medium range models are in good agreement with the ridge remaining
over the western CONUS for much of next week which improves
confidence that warm temperatures and dry conditions will prevail
over our area.

&&

.AVIATION...Areas of MVFR and local mountain obscuring IFR in low
clouds and showers in the southern Sierra Nevada until 18Z
Thursday and in the Kern County Mountains after 06Z Thursday.
Otherwise VFR conditions will prevail across the central CA
interior during the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...None.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is medium.
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 until 5 AM PDT Thursday CAZ095-098-099.

&&

public...DS
avn/fw...Andersen
synopsis...DS

weather.gov/hanford

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: April 26, 2:26 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 67 mph.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: April 26, 2:27 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Bird Springs Pass RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 80 mph.

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: April 26, 2:39 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

The Mesonet station in Boron reported a peak wind gust of 60 mph.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: April 26, 8:14 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Jawbone Canyon RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 76 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: 693048, 693049, 693046, 693050.