High Wind in California, April 29, 2018

Name: High Wind in California, April 29, 2018
Start: 2018-04-29T01:27
End: 2018-04-29T21:15
Location: California

April 29, 2018 · NWS HNX · 8 events in 3 counties and zones

High pressure brought dry conditions and much above normal temperatures to the area between April 21 and April 26. Some all time record highs were broken across the area on the 23rd and 24th.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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.

High pressure brought dry conditions and much above normal temperatures to the area between April 21 and April 26. Some all time record highs were broken across the area on the 23rd and 24th. An upper trough then pushed into the Pacific Northwest on April 27 with several impulses associated with this system crossing Northern California on the April 28 through April 30 bringing much cooler temperatures and increased winds to the area. On the evening of the 29th through the early morning of the 30th, strong wind gusts impacted the Kern County Mountains and Deserts where there were several reports of wind gusts exceeding 60 mph. A tractor trailer was blown over on its side near Mojave forcing another shutdown of SR 58. The strong winds finally subsided by the morning of April 30.

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 29, 1:19 AM PST, 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 29, 1:19 AM PST, 8 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA
219 AM PDT Sun Apr 29 2018

.SYNOPSIS...
Breezy to gusty winds, below normal temperatures, and mainly dry
conditions for the CWA through Tuesday. Wednesday temperatures
will begin to trend higher into next weekend. Monday through
Wednesday there will be increased chances of showers and
thunderstorms for the mountain locations.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Troughing associated with a low pressure system over the Pacific
Northwest will keep winds breezy to gusty. Especially in the Kern
County Mountains and desert areas where we currently have a wind
advisory issued through this evening. Temperatures will also
remain below normal due to the synoptic cooling and the increased
clouds in the northerly flow around the periphery of the low
pressure system. As the low moves southeastward into the Great
Basin early Monday an increase in PVA, cooling mid levels, and a
orographical wind component will increase chances for showers and
thunderstorms in the afternoons for the higher elevations. Several
impulses will move through the CWA from Monday through Wednesday.
Moisture will be on the low side with these systems. Main impacts
for the lower elevations will be the breezy winds and cooler
temperatures along with an increase in clouds.

The interesting aspect to this pattern is that longwave ridging
will build to the west over the eastern Pacific and another low to
the west of the ridge. This omega block pattern could signify that
the low over the Great Basin will sit there for an extended period
and means cooler temperatures will hang around at least through
Wednesday. However, as we saw with the last omega block last week
there was a delay in the progression of the forecast and would
expect that this may be the case here. Right now the guidance
wants to begin bringing in the Pacific ridge on Thursday. But,
with blocky patterns this ridge intrusion will most likely be
delayed at least a day. Which would mean we will not head right
into the heat up on Thursday. But, the heat is on the way its just
a matter of which day it begins. By this weekend high temperatures
will be in the 90s again in the SJV and Kern desert areas. A very
congested hemispheric pattern is in place and models are
suggesting another block to develop early next week. Hopefully,
we keep our luck going and can manage to stay under troughiness
when the block develops instead of the alternative ridging and
heat. Feels in a way like musical chairs and I just hope we have
a seat under the trough when the music stops.

&&

.AVIATION...
Surface winds gusting to 45 knots over the Kern County mountains and
across the Kern desert through Sunday evening. These winds may
produce occasional MVFR conditions in blowing dust. Periods of
upslope cloudiness in the Kern and Tulare County mountains will
cause areas of IFR/LIFR conditions with local terrain obscuration
through 18Z Sunday. 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 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 until 11 PM PDT this evening CAZ095-098-099.

&&

public...Andersen
avn/fw...Bean
synopsis...Andersen

weather.gov/hanford

Event by event

8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: April 29, 1:27 AM 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 29, 5:00 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS

The Mojave Airport AWOS reported a peak wind gust of 61 mph.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: April 29, 6:14 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Jawbone Canyon RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 70 mph.

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: April 29, 6:26 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 62 mph.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: April 29, 7:32 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Blue Max RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 60 mph.

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: April 29, 7:32 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement

California Highway Patrol reported an overturned semi trailer truck as a result of strong wind gusts 4 miles north of Mojave on SR 58 at exit 165.

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: April 29, 7:50 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Cache Creek reported a peak wind gust of 63 mph.

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: April 29, 9:15 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Mojave Warren Siding reported a peak wind gust of 58 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

Every storm in California in 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in California, April 2018

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: 742921, 742925, 742922, 742926, 742923, 742928, 742927, 742924.