High Wind in California, April 24 to 25, 2021

Name: High Wind in California, April 24 to 25, 2021
Start: 2021-04-24T07:10
End: 2021-04-25T10:32
Location: California

April 24 to 25, 2021 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 2 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 upper low pressure system dropped out of the Gulf of Alaska on April 24 and moved across northern California on April 25 before moving into the Great Basin on April 26. This system brought widespread precipitation to the area between the morning of April 25 and the morning of April 26. Much of the Sierra Nevada measured between a quarter to a half inch of liquid precipitation with elevations above 6000 feet picking up 3 to 6 inches of new snowfall. Most of the San Joaquin Valley received a tenth to a quarter inch of rainfall in what was the only significant precipitation event in April. The other impact from this system is that it produced a period of gusty winds across the Lake Isabella and Tehachapi areas. Several station measured gusts above 45 mph while a few low impact indicator sites measured brief gusts exceeding 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 Apr 24, 3:24 AM PST, 3 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 24, 3:24 AM PST, 3 hours 46 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hanford CA
424 AM PDT Sat Apr 24 2021

.SYNOPSIS...
A storm system will bring rain and mountain snow to the region
from late tonight into Monday morning along with unseasonably
cool high temperatures Sunday and Monday. Dry weather and a day to
day warming trend will occur Tuesday through the end of next
week. High temperatures of ninety degrees or warmer are likely in
the San Joaquin Valley, lower foothills and the Kern County desert
by Thursday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Shortwave energy pushing into northern California ahead of a
northeast Pacific low pressure system is spreading mid and high
cloudiness across our region while radar indicates some light
precip/virga brushing by our northern sections. Temperatures are
running up a couple of degrees over much of our area beneath the
increased cloud cover. Tightening onshore surface pressure
gradients associated with the incoming trough are producing
increasing southwest to west gusty winds across the mountains and
desert areas of Kern County.

The shortwave trough will continue to push inland today while the
northeast Pacific low pressure system swings southeastward toward
the coast. Onshore pressure gradients will continue to strengthen
and gusty winds will further increase, so a Wind Advisory is in
effect for the Kern County desert areas beginning at noon today.

Model solutions are consistent with the incoming low pressure
system, bringing it ashore by early Sunday morning and swinging it
inland through Monday. Showers are expected to spread southward
into central California overnight and affect all of our area by
Sunday. There is little change in forecast precipitation amounts,
with Valley locations expected to receive around 1/10 to 1/4 of an
inch, lighter on the west side. Amounts will increase in higher
elevations of the Sierra, with up to 3/4 of an inch in the
foothills and around 1 inch at higher elevations. Snow levels will
run around 6000 ft and we can expect 6-12 inches of snowfall
accumulating north of Kings Canyon, up to 18 inches at the highest
elevations. A Winter Storm Warning is therefore in effect for this
area 2 AM Sunday to 11 AM Monday. Snow fall amounts farther south
in Tulare County will be lesser, with around 3-7 inches expected,
and A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect there 5 AM Sunday to 11
AM Monday.

The passing system will maintain the gusty wind pattern and the
Wind Advisory for the Kern County desert will remain in effect
through 6 PM Sunday. Precipitation will taper off, with just some
lingering Sierra showers by Monday evening. Temperatures will also
trend downward through the weekend, a couple of degrees below
normal today then likely to reach around 15-20 degrees below
normal on Sunday. Dry and warming conditions will follow the
exiting system for early next week, with temperatures up to 4-8
degrees above normal by Wednesday.

As high pressure strengthens over our area, temperatures will
continue to warm into the end of the week. By Friday there is
around a 65 percent probability of high temperatures into the
lower 90s across the San Joaquin Valley, lower foothills and
desert areas.

&&

.AVIATION...
Wind gusts in excess of 35 knots are possible below the Kern county
mountain passes after 19z Saturday. Showers spreading southward
over the region after 06Z Sunday will bring areas of MVFR with
local IFR and mountain obscurations as far south as Fresno County
by 12Z Sunday. Otherwise, VFR conditions can be expected over the
central California Interior during the next 24 hours.

&&

.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
an/or to provide feedback.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Winter Storm Warning from 2 AM Sunday to 11 AM PDT Monday for
CAZ192-193.

Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM Sunday to 11 AM PDT Monday for
CAZ194.

Wind Advisory from noon today to 6 PM PDT Sunday for CAZ198-199.

&&

public...JEB
aviation....JEB

weather.gov/hanford

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Lake Isabella

When: April 24, 7:10 AM PST
Where: Lake Isabella forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Bear Peak RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 61 mph.

High Wind, Lake Isabella

When: April 24, 5:00 PM PST
Where: Lake Isabella forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Walker Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.

High Wind, Tehachapi Area

When: April 24, 5:14 PM PST
Where: Tehachapi Area forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Jawbone Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.

High Wind, Tehachapi Area

When: April 24, 8:27 PM PST
Where: Tehachapi Area forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 70 mph.

High Wind, Lake Isabella

When: April 25, 10:32 AM 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

Every storm in California in 2021 Every state in 2021 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 947121, 947122, 947123, 947124, 947125.