California, 2018

High Wind in California, June 27 to 28, 2018

June 27 to 28, 2018 · NWS HNX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

An upper trough pushed through California between the evening of June 27 and the morning of June 29. While this system was moisture deficient and did not produce any precipitation across the area, it did provide for a period of increased winds across the area as onshore pressure gradients strengthened.

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 pushed through California between the evening of June 27 and the morning of June 29. While this system was moisture deficient and did not produce any precipitation across the area, it did provide for a period of increased winds across the area as onshore pressure gradients strengthened. Several stations measured wind gusts exceeding 40 mph while a few low impact indicator sites briefly reported wind gusts exceeding 60 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 Jun 27, 1:27 PM PST, 8 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 27, 1:27 PM PST, 8 hours before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA
227 PM PDT Wed Jun 27 2018

.SYNOPSIS...Dry weather is expected through next week. A weak
front will bring cooler air tonight and Thursday accompanied by
locally gusty winds. High pressure will rebuild by the weekend,
so a return of triple digit heat to the lower elevations is in
store.

&&

.DISCUSSION...Mainly clear skies prevail across Central California
at this time, except for a few passing mid and high clouds due to
a weak disturbance ahead of the upper-level trough of low pressure
approaching northern California and the Pacific Northwest. This
trough is currently just off the coast but will move inland this
evening and progress further eastward by Thursday morning. This
trough will dig southward into our forecast area by Thursday
afternoon and is expected to continue its eastward movement over
the Great Basin on Friday. This will be a dry system and will do
little more than provide cooling and locally breezy conditions
such as along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and eastern
Kern County, including near the passes and canyons. Temperatures
will lower to around average to a few degrees below through
Friday.

High pressure will rebuild off the coast by Friday and will
strengthen and move inland by Saturday. So, another relatively
warm period will return, and temperatures are expected to return
to a few degrees above average just in time for the end of this
month and at least the first couple of days of July.

Another low pressure system will approach the Pacific Northwest
by Tuesday. However, the main effects anticipated here will be
a minor decrease in temperatures, as the system will remain well
to the north of our region. So, mainly seasonal temperatures are
anticipated for the early half of next week, including into the
4th of July.

&&

.AVIATION...
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...
NONE.
&&

public...BSO
avn/fw...BSO
synopsis...BSO

weather.gov/hanford

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When
June 27, 9:27 PM PST
Where
Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured
54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by
RAWS

The Bird Springs Pass RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 62 mph.

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When
June 28, 12:26 AM 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
June 28, 6:14 PM PST
Where
Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured
62 kt (71 mph) measured gust
Reported by
RAWS

The Jawbone Canyon RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 71 mph.

High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert

When
June 28, 7:20 PM PST
Where
Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet

Cache Creek 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

More

Every storm in California in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in California, June 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: 754947, 754948, 754946, 754949.