Name: High Wind in California, May 31, 2018
Start: 2018-05-31T18:26
End: 2018-05-31T22:32
Location: California

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 strengthened over the area on May 28 and May 29 and resulted in widespread triple digit heat on the 29th as the main upper ridge axis moved over Central California. An upper trough pushed into Central California on the May 30 and May 31 displacing the high pressure area and bringing cooler temperatures along with windy conditions to the west side of the San Joaquin Valley on the 30th and over the Kern County Mountains and Deserts on the 31st. Several reporting stations on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley measured wind gusts exceeding 40 mph on the 30th and several stations in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts measured gusts exceeding 50 mph on the 31st.

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 May 31, 3:04 PM PST, 3 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 3:04 PM PST, 3 hours 22 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA
404 PM PDT Thu May 31 2018

.SYNOPSIS...
Below normal temperatures will begin trending upward through the
weekend to much above temperatures by the beginning of next week.
Breezy to gusty winds are expected through this evening. Dry
conditions will continue into the middle of next week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Much below normal temperatures today with a marine intrusion
associated with a trough passage last evening. Highs were in the
mid 70s throughout the SJV today, the normal highs are in the
upper 80s. Wind gusts near Pachecho pass were gusting to over
40 miles per hour last night. Breezy to gusty winds are also on
tap for this evening as another marine intrusion is expected as
the marine layer thickens once again with the trough axis moving
through central California. A wind advisory has been issued for
the Kern County mountains, desert and pass areas through this
evening. As the trough exits the area overnight tonight winds will
begin to subside and synoptic warming will begin to increase as
weak ridging moves into the region.

However, the main synoptic warming will occur on Sunday due to a
retrograding broad high currently located over southern Texas and
northern Mexico. Temperatures will once again approach the triple
digits for many locations across the SJV and Kern County desert
areas, temporarily, as another trough from the northwest begins
to squeeze southeast into the region on Monday again lowering
temperatures to around normal levels. A dry southwest flow will
then remain over the area through the forecast period.

&&

.AVIATION...
Wind gusts of 45 knots or greater will occur through and just below
the mountain passes of Kern county this afternoon through this
evening. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail across the central
California 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 high.

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 10 PM PDT this evening CAZ095-098-099.

&&

public...Andersen
avn/fw...DCH
synopsis...Andersen

weather.gov/hanford

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: May 31, 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: May 31, 10:14 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Jawbone Canyon RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 64 mph.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: May 31, 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 peak 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 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in California, May 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: 748173, 748171, 748172.