High Wind, Tehachapi Area
- When
- April 21, 2:27 AM PST
- Where
- Tehachapi Area forecast zone
- Measured
- 69 kt (79 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- RAWS
The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 79 mph.
High Wind in California, April 21, 2021
A cold front dropped southward through the area during the morning of April 21 bringing a brief period of gusty winds to the Mountains and Deserts in Kern County as well as across the West Side Hills. Several stations measured gusts exceeding 40 mph while a few low impact indicator sites measured brief gusts in excess of 50 mph.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 cold front dropped southward through the area during the morning of April 21 bringing a brief period of gusty winds to the Mountains and Deserts in Kern County as well as across the West Side Hills. Several stations measured gusts exceeding 40 mph while a few low impact indicator sites measured brief gusts in excess of 50 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 21, 1:55 AM PST, 32 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 21, 1:55 AM PST, 32 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 255 AM PDT Wed Apr 21 2021 .SYNOPSIS... A few thunderstorms are possible in the Sierra Nevada from Fresno County northward this afternoon. Strong, gusty west winds are expected in a portion of the Kern County mountains and desert this afternoon into tonight. A warming trend is likely Thursday and Friday. A storm system should impact Central California late this weekend into early next week. && .DISCUSSION... An upper-level area of low pressure over Central California will move eastward over Nevada today. There should be enough atmospheric instability associated with this cyclone aloft to generate a few thunderstorms in the Sierra Nevada from Fresno County northward this afternoon. The upper-level area of low pressure will open into a trough of low pressure over Utah tonight. Strong, gusty west winds are expected in a portion of the Kern County mountains and desert this afternoon into tonight. A Wind Advisory is in effect for this area. A ridge of high pressure will progress eastward through the Eastern Pacific Ocean Thursday and Thursday night. This ridge of high pressure will move inland over the west coast of the United States Friday. A warming trend is expected Thursday and Friday. By Friday afternoon, high temperatures throughout Central California will be seven to nine degrees above normal for this time of year. Zonal flow aloft is expected Saturday and Saturday night. An upper-level area of low pressure will approach the coast of the Pacific Northwest Sunday. A trough of low pressure will advance toward Northern California Sunday night. This trough of low pressure will sweep through the Golden State Monday. The possibility of rain in the San Joaquin Valley is increasing Sunday through Monday. Accumulating snow is likely in the Sierra Nevada above 6,000 feet Sunday through Monday. In addition, significant cooling is expected Sunday and Monday. By Monday afternoon, high temperatures across Central California should be about ten degrees below their typical values for the end of April. A ridge of high pressure will build over California Monday night and Tuesday. && .AVIATION... VFR conditions will prevail in Central California through at least the next 24 hours. Strong, gusty west winds are expected in the Kern County mountains and desert this afternoon into tonight. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... None. && .CERTAINTY... The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is high. 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 and/or to provide feedback. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory from 4 PM this afternoon to midnight PDT tonight for CAZ196-198-199. && Public/Aviation/Fire Weather...BS PIO/DSS........................Molina weather.gov/hanford
Event by event
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Winter Weather in Wisconsin, April 21, 2021
- Dust Storm and Dense Fog in California, April 21 to 25, 2021
- Wildfire in Idaho, April 21 to 25, 2021
- Tornado and Hail in New York, April 21, 2021
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, April 21, 2021
- Damaging Winds in Maryland, April 21, 2021
- Damaging Wind in Indiana, April 21, 2021
- Frost and Freeze in Virginia, April 21 to 22, 2021
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, April 21, 2021
- Winter Weather in Vermont, April 21, 2021
- Frost and Freeze in Maryland, April 21 to 22, 2021
- Frost and Freeze in Missouri, April 21, 2021
More
Every storm in California in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2021
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: 947120.