California, 2020

High Wind in California, January 6, 2020

January 6, 2020 · NWS SGX · 8 events in 3 counties and zones

Surface high pressure over the Great Basin brought gusty Santa Ana winds to the mountains and passes, as well as warm temperatures to the coast and valleys. The highest wind gust was reported at Sill Hill at 77 mph on January 6.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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 SGX wrote it up.

Surface high pressure over the Great Basin brought gusty Santa Ana winds to the mountains and passes, as well as warm temperatures to the coast and valleys. The highest wind gust was reported at Sill Hill at 77 mph on January 6. A few other locations topped out around 60-65 mph. Warm temperatures in the low to mid 80s were reported along the coast and in the valleys.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, San Diego County Mountains

When
January 6, 5:00 AM PST to 6:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Mountains forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Buckman Springs mesonet reported a peak wind gust of 55 knots between 0500 and 0600 PST on January 6.

High Wind, San Diego County Mountains

When
January 6, 6:00 AM PST to 7:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Mountains forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Willows Road mesonet, near Alpine, reported a peak wind gust of 53 knots between 0600 and 0700 PST on January 6.

High Wind, San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire

When
January 6, 7:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where
San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire forecast zone
Measured
54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
34.293, -116.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Devil Canyon reported a peak wind gust of 54 knots between 0700 and 0800 PST on January 6.

High Wind, San Diego County Mountains

When
January 6, 7:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Mountains forecast zone
Measured
67 kt (77 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sill Hill reported a peak wind gust of 67 knots between 0700 and 0800 PST on January 6.

High Wind, San Diego County Mountains

When
January 6, 7:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Mountains forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hellhole Canyon reported a peak wind gust of 52 knots between 0700 and 0800 PST on January 6.

High Wind, San Diego County Mountains

When
January 6, 8:00 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Mountains forecast zone
Measured
63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Black mountain reported a peak wind gust of 63 kts between 0800 and 0900 PST on January 6.

High Wind, San Diego County Mountains

When
January 6, 8:00 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Mountains forecast zone
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
RAWS
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Alpine RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 56 knots between 0800 and 0900 PST on January 6.

High Wind, San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning

When
January 6, 11:00 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where
San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Highland Springs reported a peak wind gust of 53 knots between 1100 and 1200 PST on January 6.

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 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 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: 872248, 872247, 872242, 872244, 872246, 872240, 872241, 872243.