A strong area of high pressure pushed inland into central California on December 16. As the high continued to strengthen on the morning of December 17, a strong offshore surface pressure gradient developed and produced strong offshore winds over Kern County with several stations in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts measuring gusts exceeding 60 mph and producing some damaging wind gusts in…
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.
A strong area of high pressure pushed inland into central California on December 16. As the high continued to strengthen on the morning of December 17, a strong offshore surface pressure gradient developed and produced strong offshore winds over Kern County with several stations in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts measuring gusts exceeding 60 mph and producing some damaging wind gusts in the south end of the San Joaquin Valley. The winds diminished by the afternoon of the 17th as pressure gradients weakened.
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 Dec 17, 2:38 AM PST, 3 hours 32 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 238 AM PST Tue Dec 17 2019 .SYNOPSIS... Strong, gusty east to southeast winds are likely in most of Kern County today into tonight. A rather weak storm system will impact Central California tonight and Wednesday. Dry weather is expected Wednesday night into the upcoming weekend. A stronger storm system may impact Central California late this weekend into early next week. && .DISCUSSION... The pressure gradient between an Eastern Pacific storm system and a ridge of high pressure over the Great Basin will be responsible for strong, gusty east to southeast winds in most of Kern County today into tonight. The exception will be the Kern County desert. Damaging wind gusts are not out of the question in the Kern County mountains today into tonight. The Eastern Pacific Storm System will approach the west coast of the United States tonight. This atmospheric disturbance will weaken as it moves to the northeast across Northern California Wednesday. Precipitation should overspread Central California tonight and persist through much of Wednesday. Dry weather will persist in Kern County and the vast majority of precipitation will remain north of Kings and Tulare Counties. Precipitation amounts will be scant, with less than one tenth of an inch of rainfall expected in the northern portion of the San Joaquin Valley, and only an inch or two of snow anticipated in the Southern Sierra Nevada. An upper-level ridge of high pressure will build to the northeast across California Wednesday night through Friday night. This will be a conducive situation for fog development in the San Joaquin Valley each night. The ridge of high pressure aloft will shift eastward Saturday. An upper-level trough of low pressure will approach the California coastline Saturday night. This trough of low pressure aloft will move inland Sunday or Sunday night. A reinforcing atmospheric impulse may drop southward toward the base of the upper-level trough of low pressure Monday. Precipitation chances will be greater late this weekend into early next week compared to tonight and Wednesday. Several inches of snow is possible in the Southern Sierra Nevada late this weekend into early next week. A Winter Weather Advisory may be required for the Southern Sierra Nevada late this weekend into early next week. && .AVIATION... Outside of major urban areas, MVFR visibilities and localized IFR visibilities are expected in mist until around 16z this morning. Strong, gusty east to southeast winds are likely in most of Kern County today into tonight. VFR conditions will prevail this afternoon and tonight. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... On Tuesday, December 17th, 2019, fireplace/wood stove burning status is: no burning unless registered in Fresno and Madera Counties. 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.html for additional information and/or to provide feedback. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 11 PM PST this evening for CAZ196-197. Wind Advisory from 9 AM this morning to 5 PM PST this afternoon for CAZ187-188. Wind Advisory until 11 PM PST this evening for CAZ189. && public/aviation/fire weather...BS PIO/DSS........................BSO weather.gov/hanford
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
522 AM PST TUE DEC 17 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0428 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 12 NW GRAPEVINE 35.06N 119.08W
12/17/2019 M36 MPH KERN CA OFFICIAL NWS OBS
WX6HNX-14 (AU491), OR METTLER.
0452 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 ENE LAMONT 35.29N 118.86W
12/17/2019 M45 MPH KERN CA OFFICIAL NWS OBS
NR6G-5 (AU562) LAMONT.
0330 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SW TEHACHAPI 35.11N 118.49W
12/17/2019 E45 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION SE467 TEHACHAPI HILINE WATER
CYN.
0213 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SSE GRAPEVINE 34.90N 118.90W
12/17/2019 E50 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION GVPC1 GRAPEVINE PEAK.
1120 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 7 WSW KEENE 35.20N 118.68W
12/16/2019 E51 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION SE059 BEAR VALLEY SPGS
(SCE).
1215 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 NNW GRAPEVINE 34.99N 118.95W
12/17/2019 M51 MPH KERN CA OFFICIAL NWS OBS
WX6HNX-14 (AT714), OR GRAPEVINE CHP WEIGH
STATION.
0340 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 13 ENE LAMONT 35.37N 118.73W
12/17/2019 E60 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION PG449 PAMPA PEAK (PGE).
0230 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 8 WSW TEHACHAPI 35.11N 118.58W
12/17/2019 E61 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION SE067 CUMMINGS VALLEY (SCE).
0420 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 SSW KEENE 35.16N 118.58W
12/17/2019 E65 MPH KERN CA MESONET
MESONET STATION SE060 RANCHO RIDGE (SCE).
&&5 high wind, 3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Southern California Edison Station at Cummings Valley measured a peak wind gust of 61 mph.
The PG&E station at Digier Road Hilltop (Lebec 5NW) measured a peak wind gust of 73 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Rancho Ridge measured a peak wind gust of 68 mph.
California Highway Patrol reported several trees were knocked down and blown into roads in Oildale.
The Grapevine Peak RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 66 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Pampa Peak measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
California Highway Patrol reported a semi truck was blown over on SR 166 on ramp from Interstate 5.
California Highway Patrol reported power poles were blown down into the roadway 5NE Arvin.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2019
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: 861264, 861279, 861263, 861282, 861269, 861265, 861283, 861285.