President's Day weekend got off to a warm and dry start across the area, but the weekend ended on the chilly side as a strong cold front pushed across Central California on the evening of February 18. Gusty winds accompanied the front and continued behind the cold front overnight and well into the President's Day holiday before diminishing by afternoon.
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.
The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
President's Day weekend got off to a warm and dry start across the area, but the weekend ended on the chilly side as a strong cold front pushed across Central California on the evening of February 18. Gusty winds accompanied the front and continued behind the cold front overnight and well into the President's Day holiday before diminishing by afternoon. Several locations in the San Joaquin Valley measured wind gusts between 35 and 45 mph while several stations in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts reported wind gusts between 45 and 55 mph with a few low impact indicator locations reporting stronger gusts. In addition to the strong winds, light snow fell across portions of the Kern County Mountains in post frontal showers and several locations picked up between a dusting to an inch of snowfall.
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 Feb 18, 3:35 PM PST, 4 hours 2 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA 335 PM PST Sun Feb 18 2018 .SYNOPSIS... A southward moving cold front will bring an unseasonably cold air mass into the central California interior by this evening. Blustery winds will accompany the change to colder weather this afternoon through Monday and snow showers are possible in the mountains and foothills by this evening. Below freezing temperatures are likely in the San Joaquin Valley Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning. Colder than normal weather will continue for the remainder of the week. && .DISCUSSION... Change is finally in store for Central California as a cold front from the Gulf of Alaska continues to descend toward the district. While the sun continued to shine this Sunday, clouds and showers have spread into Northern California behind the cold front. Surface Frontal analysis has the cold front over Northern California and quickly approaching the Central California Interior. Many surface observations are already showing a more northwesterly wind component which places the cold front nearby. Satellite IR imagery is showing the cold air cellular cloud formations pushing past the Bay area and moving further southward. Therefore, the cold air-mass will descend down into the region tonight with elevated wind speed being the saving grace from a very cold night. Clouds development from marginal instability will be the other saving grace, but will also produce spotty showers tonight as snow level could reach down into the foothills. However, moisture continues to lack which will keep precipitation on the lower accumulation-side with a few inches possible over the higher terrain of the Sierra Nevada. Current model prog timing still has the disturbance and associated cold front crossing into Central California today as surface winds have already started to increase. The cold front is entering the region and should reach the southern portion of the district just after sunset. At which time, the disturbance aloft will drop into the region and place a good portion of its energy offshore along the Central Coast. Model prog is still showing the flow pattern in a more channel flow pattern characteristic. This channel flow pattern is more indicative of strong winds than precipitation. Satellite imagery and surface observations are already showing this trend. Therefore, the higher confidence levels are with the strong winds then the lower confidence of possible precipitation. Yet, a portion of the wind component could become perpendicular to the Sierra Nevada Range and Tehachapi Mountains. Therefore, can not rule out precipitation over the higher terrain. However, forecast precipitation accumulation is small for this event as Central California is not favored in this flow pattern. Yet, the lack of precipitation and the fact that lower elevations may see snow will warrant the winter weather advisories for tonight. Behind Today's cold front, models have been very consistent in prog sub-freezing temperatures across the San Joaquin Valley from around Tuesday through Thursday morning. While during the early onset of the cold frontal passage, the coldest air will reside over the area with possible moderation in conditions going into Thursday morning. Therefore, the best chances of a hard freeze [min's < 28F] will exist on Tuesday morning (once the winds settle down and the skies clear out from Monday's event) with a good chance of freezing [min's < 32F but > 28F] Wednesday morning. While not as widespread as Wednesday morning, freezing will still be possible on Thursday morning. By Friday, Modification of the air-mass will make the potential for freezing less likely. Furthermore, another disturbance will enter the region on Thursday afternoon, which will increase winds and clouds along with mixing of the atmosphere to prevent the freeze potential. While the potential for precipitation is very low, will at least mention a potential as very low accumulation will be likely. By next weekend, an inside slider will maintain clouds, winds and possible mixing of the atmosphere to moderate temperatures. && .AVIATION... Strong surface winds with gusts to 45 knots developing this evening across the Kern County Mountains and Deserts. IFR conditions in Blowing Dust will be also be possible across the Mojave Desert overnight. Increasing clouds this afternoon with clouds and showers obscuring the mountains after 00Z Monday. 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... Winter Weather Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 3 AM PST Tuesday CAZ095. Wind Advisory until 9 PM PST this evening CAZ095. Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 4 PM PST Monday CAZ093-094. Hard Freeze Warning from midnight Monday night to 8 AM PST Tuesday CAZ089>092. Freeze Watch from late Tuesday night through Thursday morning CAZ089>092. Wind Advisory until 4 PM PST Monday CAZ098-099. && public...Molina avn/fw...JEB synopsis...Molina weather.gov/hanford
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
412 PM PST SUN FEB 18 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0332 PM NON-TSTM WND GST BLUE MAX 35.71N 117.97W
02/18/2018 M61 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION TR518, BLUE MAX.
0327 PM NON-TSTM WND GST BIRD SPRINGS PASS 35.54N 118.14W
02/18/2018 M69 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION BIJC1, BIRD SPRINGS PASS.
0302 PM NON-TSTM WND GST CACHE CREEK CHP ON 58 35.11N 118.24W
02/18/2018 M45 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION AU563, CACHE CREEK CHP ON
58.
0226 PM NON-TSTM WND GST INDIAN WELLS CANYON 35.69N 117.89W
02/18/2018 M45 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION IWLC1, INDIAN WELLS CANYON.
0214 PM NON-TSTM WND GST JAWBONE CANYON 35.29N 118.23W
02/18/2018 M54 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION JWBC1, JAWBONE CANYON.
0210 PM NON-TSTM WND GST BEAR PEAK 35.88N 118.08W
02/18/2018 M77 MPH TULARE CA MESONET
MESONET STATION BPKC1, BEAR PEAK.
0200 PM NON-TSTM WND GST WALKER PASS 35.66N 118.06W
02/18/2018 M46 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION ONYC1, WALKER PASS.
0154 PM NON-TSTM WND GST RIDGECREST 7SSW 35.59N 117.69W
02/18/2018 M47 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION C9067, RIDGECREST 7SSW.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
522 PM PST SUN FEB 18 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0421 PM NON-TSTM WND GST CHINA LAKE 35.69N 117.69W
02/18/2018 M49 MPH KERN CA ASOS
ASOS STATION NID, CHINA LAKE.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
602 PM PST SUN FEB 18 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0532 PM NON-TSTM WND GST BLUE MAX 35.71N 117.97W
02/18/2018 M75 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION TR518, BLUE MAX.
&&5 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
California Highway Patrol reported a downed telephone pole and a downed tree blocking both lanes on E. Houston Ave. East of McAuliff St. in Visalia.
The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 73 mph.
The Bear Peak RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 81 mph.
The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 82 mph.
The Jawbone Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
The Blue Max RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 83 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2018
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: 731083, 731086, 731084, 731088, 731087, 731085.