California, 2019

High Wind in California, September 18, 2019

September 18, 2019 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The low pressure system that moved to the north of our area on September 16 was followed by a secondary system on September 18. This system also pushed a cold front through the area during the evening hours and provided for a brief period of strong winds across the Kern County Deserts and the Tehachapi and Lake Isabella areas.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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.

The low pressure system that moved to the north of our area on September 16 was followed by a secondary system on September 18. This system also pushed a cold front through the area during the evening hours and provided for a brief period of strong winds across the Kern County Deserts and the Tehachapi and Lake Isabella areas. Once again, several stations reported wind gusts exceeding 45 mph while a few low impact indicator sites measured brief gusts above 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 Sep 18, 1:52 PM PST, 7 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 18, 1:52 PM PST, 7 hours 35 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hanford CA
252 PM PDT Wed Sep 18 2019

.SYNOPSIS...
A trough of low pressure will impact the the region through and
Thursday with breezy to gusty winds. Light precipitation will be
possible in the higher elevations of the Sierra especially near
Yosemite tonight through Thursday. Below normal temperatures will
continue through at least Thursday. A warming trend will begin
Friday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Satellite imagery shows a weather system moving over Oregon and N
CA. The leading associated front just north of Merced County and
Yosemite Park. Radar tracking showers along the front over
Stanislaus and Calaveras Counties. Otherwise a sunny cool day
elsewhere in the Central CA interior. Some sprinkles or light
rain will be possible towards Merced County this afternoon and
evening as front pushes through,otherwise models indicate the best
chance for precipitation will be towards Mariposa and Yosemite
area. Rainfall amounts should be mainly light and up to half an
inch of snowfall possible in the Yosemite high country above 8kft.
Winds will turn breezy early this evening over much of district.
Expect gusty winds below the passes on the west side of the valley
and Kern County mountains and desert the stronger gust through
tonight. Higher resolution models prog for upslope clouds and
light rain forming overnight along the Tehachapi mountains during
the early morning hours Thursday. The trough cross into the Great
Basin Thursday morning. Winds should turn breezy again tomorrow
afternoon with day time heating and mixing. A few shower should
develop across the Sierra Nevada Thursday afternoon. The potential
for thunder will be limited with the best instability remaining
towards N CA. Winds turn North and offshore Thursday night and
Friday. This will usher in a warm and dry trend for the weekend.
While a ridge builds inland from the Pacific. Some uncertainty for
next week, although operational models trending warmer and drier.
The euro maintains a closed trough over Ca, While the GFS and Can
show a more progressive solution moving the system through the N
Great Basin area.

Autumn equinox is on Monday September 23 at 12:50 AM PDT.

&&

.AVIATION...
Local mountain obscuration ove the Sierra Nevada until 12z
Thursday and over the Tehachapi Mountains 09-18z Thu. Otherwise VFR
conditions will prevail through the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
None.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is medium.
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
an/or to provide feedback.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&

public...MV
aviation....MV

weather.gov/hanford

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Tehachapi Area

When
September 18, 9:27 PM PST
Where
Tehachapi Area forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
RAWS

The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 61 mph.

High Wind, Lake Isabella

When
September 18, 9:32 PM PST
Where
Lake Isabella forecast zone
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
RAWS

The Blue Max RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 64 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 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in California, September 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 845370, 845371.