Name: High Wind in California, April 30, 2020
Start: 2020-04-30T18:14
End: 2020-04-30T18:20
Location: California

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.

A dry cold front pushed through the area during the morning of April 30. With the passage of the front, a strong onshore pressure gradient developed and produced strong wind gusts over the ridge tops and below the mountain passes in Kern County during the evening. A few locations in the Mojave and Tehachapi areas reported gusts above 55 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 Apr 30, 1:02 PM PST, 5 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 1:02 PM PST, 5 hours 12 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hanford CA
202 PM PDT Thu Apr 30 2020

.SYNOPSIS...
Cooler and breezy conditions will start today and continue
through Monday as series of dry cold fronts move through the area.
In addition, strong gusty winds will be possible for portions of
the southern San Joaquin Valley and the Kern County mountains and
desert tonight into Friday morning as well as from Friday night
into Saturday morning. Dry weather will persist for the next 7
days.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Some cumulus clouds developing over the Sierra Nevada mountains
this afternoon. Otherwise clear and breezy conditions across most
of the central CA interior. Temperatures running 4-10 degrees
cooler than 24 hours ago. Several short waves will push through CA
through the weekend. This will bring a strong onshore flow,
ushering breezy and cooler conditions across central CA through
Sunday. Winds have been on the increase this afternoon as an
initial short wave is moving across NCal. Breezy winds have been
turning gusty as the onshore gradient from the Bay Area to Las
Vegas has ramp up to 10MB. Models prog local gradient from the
South Valley to Ridgecrest increasing to 9mb tonight. This
gradient should bring strong gusty winds through Friday morning
especially the mountain passes of the the Kern County mountains as
well as the desert area. A High Wind Warning remains in affect
for possible wind gusts up to 60 mph. Another upper level short
wave will bring a few disturbances later tonight and Friday. This
will maintain the the cool onshore flow resulting in continued
breezy conditions in the San Joaquin Valley and locally windy in
the Kern County Mountains and desert area through Friday evening.
Winds should diminish Saturday as the onshore flow will weaken but
remain westerly onshore. Models prog for another round of strong
onshore flow on Sunday as another short wave brings a dry cold
through central CA. Thus gusty winds may ramp up again Sunday
afternoon and evening especially along the west side of SJ valley
and Kern county mountains and desert passes. Cool conditions
should prevail through Monday but with lighter winds as the
westerlies over the west coast weakens.

Tuesday through Thursday, temperatures will begin to rise back to
above average as a ridge begins to build into the region.

&&

.AVIATION...Strong winds up to 35 kts are possible along the west
side hills and portions of the southern San Joaquin Valley from
Kings County northward to Merced County until 12Z Friday. Areas
of MVFR visiblities in blowing dust is also possible in these same
areas. Very strong winds up to 55 kts are possible in the Kern
County mountains and desert through 15Z Friday. Otherwise, VFR
conditions can be expected over the central California interior
for at least the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
Please see SFOAQAHNX for an Air Quality Alert

&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is high.
The level of certainty for days 3 through 7 is low.

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...
Wind Advisory from 5 PM this afternoon to 5 AM PDT Friday for
CAZ179>184.

High Wind Warning until 8 AM PDT Friday for CAZ195>199.

Wind Advisory from 8 AM Friday to 8 AM PDT Saturday for
CAZ195>199.

&&

public...mv
aviation....mv

weather.gov/hanford

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Tehachapi Area

When: April 30, 6:14 PM PST
Where: Tehachapi Area forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Jawbone Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 68 mph.

High Wind, Tehachapi Area

When: April 30, 6:20 PM PST
Where: Tehachapi Area forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Utility Company

The Southern California Edison station in Little Oak Canyon measured 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 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history Warnings in California, April 2020

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: 880272, 880270.