California, 2017

High Wind in California, August 13 to 14, 2017

August 13 to 14, 2017 · NWS HNX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

An upper trough dropped southward over California from the evening of the 13th through the early morning of the 15th producing strong down slope west to northwest winds over the Kern County Mountains and Deserts as pressure gradients increased over the area.

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.

An upper trough dropped southward over California from the evening of the 13th through the early morning of the 15th producing strong down slope west to northwest winds over the Kern County Mountains and Deserts as pressure gradients increased over the area.

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 Aug 13, 9:30 AM PST, 13 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 13, 9:30 AM PST, 13 hours 10 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA
1030 AM PDT Sun Aug 13 2017

.SYNOPSIS...Cooling trend over the next couple of days, with
Tuesday being the coolest day. Then a warming trend into the
weekend.

&&

.DISCUSSION...Dry southwesterly flow will slowly give way today as
shortwave energy slides south out of the Northern Pacific. This
will shift the flow aloft and usher in some cooler air. Not
expecting much moisture with this impulse of energy, so
precipitation isn't likely. Nevertheless, a nice cooling trend
through Tuesday before temperatures begin to rebound back towards
the century mark in the SJV and Desert locations.

The warming trend will due to the Pacific ridge rather than the
monsoonal high, which will bring generally dry off shore flow.
However, the positioning of the ridge will allow for the potential
for other impulses to slide down the mean flow and/or even a
slight push of monsoonal moisture. Stay Tuned.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR conditions will prevail across the Central CA interior during
the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
On Sunday August 13 2017... Unhealthy for sensitive groups in
Fresno... Kern and Tulare Counties and Sequoia National Park and
Forest.
Further information is available at Valleyair.org

&&

.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...
NONE.
&&

Meadows

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When
August 13, 10:40 PM PST
Where
Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet

The APRS station 1NNW Mojave reported a maximum wind gust of 58 mph.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When
August 14, 2:27 PM PST
Where
Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
RAWS

The Bird Springs Pass RAWS reported a maximum wind gust of 58 mph.

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When
August 14, 10:26 PM PST
Where
Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
RAWS

The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS reported a maximum wind gust of 58 mph.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When
August 14, 10:32 PM PST
Where
Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
RAWS

The Blue Max RAWS reported a maximum wind gust of 60 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 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 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: 717803, 717804, 717805, 717806.