A cold front moved through the region bringing widespread gusty winds. Wind gusts were observed as high as 79 mph with widespread gusts of over 50 mph.
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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 MTR wrote it up.
A cold front moved through the region bringing widespread gusty winds. Wind gusts were observed as high as 79 mph with widespread gusts of over 50 mph.
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 San Francisco Bay Area, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 8, 10:42 PM PST, 50 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area
1042 PM PST Tue Jan 8 2019
.SYNOPSIS...Gusty winds and widespread rainfall are forecast to
impact the region tonight through early Wednesday morning as a
cold front advances inland. Scattered showers will continue into
Wednesday afternoon. Dry conditions will develop late Wednesday
and persist into Thursday with temperatures near seasonal
averages. At least two more weather systems are forecast to impact
the region in the extended forecast period, bringing additional
rain and gusty winds from Friday through the upcoming weekend.
&&
.DISCUSSION...As of 8:50 PM PST Tuesday...Frontal boundary is
still offshore at this time, with scattered light showers moving
inland ahead of the boundary. Based on the latest HRRR, rainfall
will become more widespread and increase in intensity across the
North Bay over the next few hours as the frontal boundary begins
to push inland. Rain rates will then increase elsewhere starting
around midnight, with these heavier rates then expected to
continue through the early morning hours of Wednesday. Most of the
widespread precipitation is expected to end before tomorrow
morning's commute. However, scattered showers will continue behind
the front and some of these showers may produce brief heavy
downpours, which will have an impact on the commute at times.
Southerly winds are beginning to increase and the latest local
WRF model indicates winds will reach their maximum intensity
between about 10 pm and 3 am, just ahead of the frontal boundary.
During this time, expect gusts of between 40 and 50 mph in the
hills, and locally near the coast, as well as local gusts up to 60
mph over the highest peaks. Will continue with a Wind Advisory
for all elevations above 1000 feet, along with the North Bay Coast
and SF Peninsula Coast, until 10 am. The WRF indicates winds will
subside by sunrise. If this occurs, the Wind Advisory may be
cancelled early.
Lightning Detection Networks picked up a lightning strike 130
miles west of Point Reyes at about 6:30 pm this evening. Since
then no strikes have been detected and the likelihood of
thunderstorms overnight and into Wednesday morning appear remote.
Rainfall totals through Wednesday are expected to vary quite a
bit across our region. The coastal hills are forecast to pick up
between one and two inches, with locally higher amounts possible.
In urban, valley, and coastal locations, rainfall totals are
expected to mostly be in the quarter to half inch range, with
possibly up to an inch in the North Bay Valleys, and little or
nothing in some of the rain-shadowed valleys of the South Bay and
Monterey and San Benito Counties.
Scattered showers are expected to continue behind the front
through most of Wednesday. The HRRR indicates all shower activity
will end by late afternoon, while the 00Z NAM maintains shower
activity into the early evening hours. In any case, all
precipitation is expected to end by late Wednesday evening. A
shortwave ridge is then forecast to build in just long enough for
a dry day on Thursday, with dry conditions expected to persist
into early Friday.
The next system is forecast to begin spreading rain into our area
around midday Friday. Both the NAM and GFS indicate this system
will split as it approaches the coast, with the northern branch of
the split tracking north towards British Columbia and the
southern branch diving south towards southern California. If the
split occurs as forecast, the system will rapidly dissipate as it
moves into our area and rainfall may not be significant. Another
system is forecast to quickly follow, arriving on Sunday. The
Sunday system is also forecast to split and therefore will not
likely generate more than light to moderate rainfall.
Longer range models maintain an active weather pattern into next
week, with more rain likely.
&&
.AVIATION...As of 10:30 PM PST Tuesday...Frontal system continues
its slow march towards the coast. Models now show steadier rain
arriving after 08Z but only within a narrower band. Rain will
change to showers by 13Z. Gusty southerly winds have been slow to
materialize...perhaps due to the surface low lifting to the
northeast. But with the front approaching winds will increase with
gusts at some terminals reaching 30 kt. Winds will decrease
during the morning hours but will become breezy again in the
afternoon as the winds switch to southwest.
Vicinity of KSFO...Cigs lowering to MVFR with rain and southeast
winds to 20 kt gusting to 30 kt. Conditions improving after 13Z
with rain changing to showers and winds decreasing.
SFO Bridge Approach...Similar to SFO.
Monterey Bay Terminals...Becoming MVFR after 08Z with light rain.
Southeast winds gusting to 20 kt near MRY and 30-35 kt near SNS
between 08Z and 13Z.
&&
.BEACHES...as of 10:30 PM PST Tuesday...Large west swell is
arriving at the coast this evening. At 10 PM Bodega Bay Buoy 13
reported 20 foot swells with a 13-17 second period. Point Arena
Buoy 14 reported 16 foot swells at 16 seconds. This swell will
produce breaking waves of 18 to 24 feet along west-facing beaches,
with some favored locations occasionally exceeding 27 feet. A
High Surf Advisory is in effect through late Wednesday evening.
High tide may bring very localized coastal flooding in conjunction
with the larger surf.
&&
.MARINE...as of 10:19 PM PST Tuesday...A frontal system will move
through the area early Wednesday morning. Gale-force southerly
winds can be expected over the waters ahead of the front. Winds
will switch to south to southwest and decrease Wednesday and
Thursday. A large westerly swell will impact the coast through
Wednesday night before decreasing on Thursday.
&&
.MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.Tngt...Wind Advisory...CAZ505-507-509-511-512-517-518
High Surf Advisory...CAZ006-505-509-529-530
GLW...SF Bay
GLW...Pt Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm
GLW...Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 0-10 nm
GLW...Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm
GLW...Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 0-10 nm until 3 AM
GLW...Pt Arena to Pigeon Pt 10-60 nm until 3 AM
GLW...Pigeon Pt to Pt Piedras Blancas 10-60 nm until 3 AM
SCA...Mry Bay
&&
PUBLIC FORECAST: Dykema
AVIATION: W Pi
MARINE: W Pi
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www.youtube.com/nwsbayareaThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 strong wind, 5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Los Gatos Raws mesonet station.
Los Gatos RAWS station measured gusts over 45 mph peaking at 57 mph.
Mesonet station 12 miles E of Gualala.
Mesonet station 5 miles N Lagunitas-Forest Knolls.
Large tree down.
Mesonet station 3 miles SW Los Altos Hills.
Mesonet station 2 miles WNW Lucas Valley-Marinwood.
Hastings RAWS station reported gusts 45 mph.
Tree blown down on a car in the 1300 block of Byrd in Los Altos Hills.
Spring Valley RAWS reported gusts to 60 mph.
Las Trampas RAWS station measured gusts over 45 mph peaking at 49 mph.
Tree down blocking NB lane.
Tree down across the entire roadway.
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, January 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: 797227, 797344, 797228, 797229, 797230, 797232, 797233, 797234, 797235, 797345, 797236, 797342, 797343, 797237, 797238.