California, 2019

High Wind and Strong Wind in California, January 15, 2019

January 15, 2019 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A low pressure system moved inland through the Bay Area and lifted into northern California, but produced another period of locally strong winds gusts in the Grapevine area in the Kern County Mountains during the late morning and early afternoon hours of January 15.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$25,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

A low pressure system moved inland through the Bay Area and lifted into northern California, but produced another period of locally strong winds gusts in the Grapevine area in the Kern County Mountains during the late morning and early afternoon hours of January 15.

Event by event

1 strong wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Se S.J. Valley

When
January 15, 10:10 AM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured
48 kt (55 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
NWS Employee

An NWS Employee reported a strong crosswind which blew a semi truck into a construction zone on southbound State Route 99 near Herring Road.

High Wind, Se S.J. Valley

When
January 15, 12:55 PM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet

The California Highway Patrol station in Grapevine reported a peak wind gust of 70 mph.

What these are

Strong Wind
Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
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 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2019

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 793128, 793127.