High Wind in California, February 20, 2021

Name: High Wind in California, February 20, 2021
Start: 2021-02-20T07:26
End: 2021-02-20T14:00
Location: California

February 20, 2021 · NWS HNX · 7 events in 4 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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 shortwave trough dropped southeast across central California on February 20. This ssytem strengthened onshore pressure gradients resulting in a period of increased winds over the Kern County Deserts as well as over portions of the mountains in Kern and Tulare Counties during the late monring through the early afternoon. Several stations measured gusts above 45 mph while a few low impact indicator stations measurted gusts above 70 mph. The gusts subsided during the evening and winds diminshed by the morning of Febraury 21.

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 Feb 20, 3:27 AM PST, 3 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 20, 3:27 AM PST, 3 hours 59 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hanford CA
327 AM PST Sat Feb 20 2021

.SYNOPSIS...
A weak disturbance moving through the region will continue to
bring a chance for light precipitation through this morning,
mainly over the mountains. Gusty winds across the Kern County
Mountains and desert areas as the system moves through this
morning and breezy conditions elsewhere. Dry weather and a
warming trend will prevail Sunday through early next week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Current 11z satellite and radar imagery depicts a weak boundary
with very light showers and virga moving southward ahead of the
main shortwave trough circulation located over the northwest
corner of California. This shortwave will continue to move
southeast across the region later this morning and will increase
winds for the central California interior through late this
afternoon. The strongest winds will affect the Kern County
Mountains/Passes and desert areas with gusts up to 55 mph possible
in those areas. A Wind Advisory addressing that concern is in
affect until 4 PM for the Kern County Mountains and desert. Breezy
conditions will be on tap for everywhere else in the CWA as this
system moves through the region.

Light rain showers and higher elevation snow showers will also
accompany this system. However any accumulations will be minor to
non-existent. Upper level ridging will begin to move into the
region this evening and will bring warmer temperatures over the
next several days into the beginning of next week. High
temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley and Kern desert areas will
approach the lower 70s beginning Monday and continue through
Tuesday. Very slight cooling will take place on Wednesday as
another weak shortwave skirts just to the east of our CWA bringing
an increase in high clouds and maybe a stray shower over the
Sierras. Dry conditions will remain for the rest of the CWA.
Temperatures will begin rebounding once again on Thursday into the
end of the week with shortwave ridging moving into the region on
the backside of the weak troughing in the Great Basin.

&&

.AVIATION...
Mountain obscuring IFR conditions in clouds and showers spreading
south from Yosemite NP to the Tehachapi Mountains through 04z
Sunday. VFR conditions will prevail elsewhere over the central
California interior during the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
On Saturday February 20 2021... Fireplace/Wood Stove Burning
Status is: No Burning Unless Registered in Fresno County.
Further information is available at Valleyair.org

&&

.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...
Wind Advisory until 4 PM PST this afternoon for CAZ195>199.

&&

public...Andersen
aviation....MV

weather.gov/hanford

Event by event

7 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Indian Wells Valley

When: February 20, 7:26 AM PST
Where: Indian Wells Valley forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 72 mph.

High Wind, Tehachapi Area

When: February 20, 7:27 AM PST
Where: Tehachapi Area forecast zone
Measured: 71 kt (82 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 82 mph.

High Wind, Tehachapi Area

When: February 20, 8:00 AM PST
Where: Tehachapi Area forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Utility Company

The Southern California Edison station at Tehachapi East Valley measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.

High Wind, Lake Isabella

When: February 20, 8:10 AM PST
Where: Lake Isabella forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Bear Peak RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 76 mph.

High Wind, Lake Isabella

When: February 20, 8:32 AM PST
Where: Lake Isabella forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Blue Max RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 73 mph.

High Wind, Tehachapi Area

When: February 20, 1:14 PM PST
Where: Tehachapi Area forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Jawbone Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 72 mph.

High Wind, Kern County Desert

When: February 20, 2:00 PM PST
Where: Kern County Desert forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Utility Company

The Southern California Edison station at Little Oak Canyon measured a peak wind gust of 63 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, February 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: 934272, 934266, 934270, 934268, 934269, 934267, 934271.