Strong northwest to north winds impacted the mountains of Los Angeles county. Peak wind gusts of 63 MPH were reported.
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.
The episode as NWS LOX wrote it up.
Strong northwest to north winds impacted the mountains of Los Angeles county. Peak wind gusts of 63 MPH were reported.
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 Los Angeles, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 20, 4:09 PM PST, 1 hour 44 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
409 PM PST Sat Feb 20 2021
.SYNOPSIS...20/207 PM.
North to northeast winds will persist through Monday and again
possibly later in the week. A warming trend will begin Sunday and
peak Monday with highs in the low 80s in some areas of LA County.
Conditions will remain dry through the week with few clouds.
&&
.SHORT TERM (TDY-MON)...20/148 PM.
We are solidly in an advisory level northerly wind event following
the passage of low pressure system into the Great Basin. Much of
the area is windy with the exception of much of the southern
portion of Ventura County which is shielded from the north winds
and also interior SLO. However, this will change, and some windy
areas today will become less windy tonight into Sunday as the
north winds shift to the northeast. So most of the current
advisories (except for the Antelope Valley) will continue into
Sunday. Will probably need to tack on the Oxnard plain to the
advisory coverage as at least the eastern end around Camarillo and
Point Mugu should see some advisory level gusts by mid to late
morning.
Temps will begin a warming trend Sunday as the cold air from the
upper low shifts east and high pressure builds behind it. Highs
will be up 5-10 degrees, locally more in some areas.
The warmest day of the next seven will be Monday with highs close
to 80 across parts of LA County coast/valleys and 70s most
everywhere else outside of the mountains. Still some offshore flow
but less upper support so wind speeds should be much less.
.LONG TERM (TUE-FRI)...20/203 PM.
Our very dry winter will continue through next week.
Onshore trends Tuesday ahead of a trough moving into the Pac NW
will lead to some cooling west/south of the mountains into
Wednesday but otherwise very nice days with temps still at least
5 degrees above normal.
Some disagreement in the models after that with the upper level
pattern. Some solutions have been suggesting a closer pass of the
next low pressure system resulting in another round of gusty
northerly winds. However, the more recent runs have dialed this
back somewhat so lower confidence there. But otherwise, generally
very pleasant weather with highs a few degrees above normal,
Possibly some gustier northerly winds by around Thursday or Friday.
Really no chances for precip the rest of February based on a vast
majority of the ensemble solutions from both the GFS and ECMWF.
Quite a few solutions supporting at least some light rain by Mar
2 or 3. By then we'll be another 1.50 inches below normal at
least. In some areas, mostly LA/Ventura Counties, that will put
them at almost 10" or more below normal for the season, roughly a
60-80% deficit.
&&
.AVIATION...21/0008Z.
At 2258Z at KLAX there was no marine layer.
Hi confidence in the 18Z TAFs with VFR conditions expected at all
the airfields through the fcst period. Gusty switching but mostly NW
to N winds will affect many of the airfields through early this
evening then switch to NE and become gusty for KCMA and KOXR by
Sun morning, while gusty N winds continue at KVNY.
KLAX...Hi confidence in the 00Z TAF with VFR conditions through
the fcst period. Moderate confidence in wind forecast with a 60%
chance of N wind gusts to 15 KT from TAF issuance time until about
03Z, and there is a 20% chance of N wind gusts up to 25 kt at
that time. These N winds could linger past 03Z.
KBUR...High confidence in the 00Z TAF with VFR conditions through
the fcst period. Hi confidence of gusty N winds until about 05Z,
but there is a 30% chance winds could diminish as much as 2 hours
earlier than that.
&&
.MARINE...20/1258 PM.
Across the outer waters...The two southern zones (PZZ673-676) will
experience GALE WARNING level wind gusts through this
evening, mainly just south of Point Sal to NW of San Nicolas
Island and areas to the west. The northern zone (PZZ670) will
remain at Small Craft Advisory (SCA) thresholds. Winds across the
entire outer waters will diminish to SCA level by late tonight
and continue through Sunday evening before diminishing to below
SCA level by late Sunday night. There is a 50% chance of winds
increasing to SCA level at times Tuesday through Thursday.
Across the nearshore waters of the Central Coast N of Point Sal...
Winds will remain at SCA level through this evening, with a
30% chance of Gale force for a few hours late this afternoon and
early evening. There is a 60% chance of SCA level wind gusts
Sunday evening, otherwise conditions are expected to remain below
SCA level Sunday through Thursday.
Across the inner waters south of Point Conception...SCA level
winds will continue through this evening. SCA wind gusts are
expected once again late tonight through Sunday afternoon as
Santa Ana winds should pick up early Sunday morning. Strongest
gusts will be between Point Mugu to Malibu, and then across the
San Pedro Channel to Avalon Harbor. There is a 20% chance for a
repeat for the same areas Monday morning through mid-afternoon.
Otherwise, winds and seas should remain below SCA levels Monday
through Thursday.
&&
.LOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...Wind Advisory in effect until 3 AM PST Sunday for zones
39-52. (See LAXNPWLOX).
Wind Advisory in effect until 3 PM PST Sunday for zones
41-44>46-53-54-88-547. (See LAXNPWLOX).
Wind Advisory in effect until 9 PM PST this evening for zone
59. (See LAXNPWLOX).
PZ...Small Craft Advisory in effect until 9 PM PST this evening
for zones 645-650. (See LAXMWWLOX).
Small Craft Advisory in effect until 3 PM PST Sunday for zone
655. (See LAXMWWLOX).
Small Craft Advisory in effect until 3 AM PST Monday for zone
670. (See LAXMWWLOX).
Gale Warning in effect until 9 PM PST this evening for zones
673-676. (See LAXMWWLOX).
&&
.HAZARD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK (MON-FRI).
Gusty offshore winds are possible again Thursday into Friday.
&&
PUBLIC...MW
AVIATION...Sweet/Sirard
MARINE...Sirard
SYNOPSIS...MW
weather.gov/losangelesPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
546 PM PST SAT FEB 20 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0457 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 SSW CASTAIC LAKE 34.57N 118.74W
02/20/2021 M62 MPH LOS ANGELES CA MESONET
MESONET STATION WTPC1 WHITAKER PEAK RAWS.
0453 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 8 ESE CASTAIC LAKE 34.60N 118.58W
02/20/2021 M63 MPH LOS ANGELES CA MESONET
MESONET STATION WMSC1 WARM SPRINGS RAWS.
0448 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 NNE CHATSWORTH 34.30N 118.58W
02/20/2021 M61 MPH LOS ANGELES CA MESONET
MESONET STATION PHCC1 PORTER RANCH RAWS.
1000 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SSE SAN FERNANDO 34.25N 118.42W
02/20/2021 M58 MPH LOS ANGELES CA AWOS
AWOS STATION KWHP PACOIMA (WHITEMAN APT.).
&&1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong and gusty northwest to north winds impacted the mountains of Los Angeles county. Some peak wind gusts from the local mesonet network include: Warm Springs (gust 63 MPH) and Whitaker Peak (gust 62 MPH).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2021
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: 949810.