A dry upper trough moved through central California during the early morning of April 28 bringing a much cooler airmass into the area. This system also brought increased winds to the area during the afternoon and evening hours as pressure gradients strengthened.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 HNX wrote it up.
A dry upper trough moved through central California during the early morning of April 28 bringing a much cooler airmass into the area. This system also brought increased winds to the area during the afternoon and evening hours as pressure gradients strengthened. Strong wind gusts impacted the mountains and deserts of Kern County during this time frame with the Mojave Desert slopes being the most impacted. Several stationed reported wind gusts exceeding 45 mph with several gusts exceeding 60 mph being observed during the early evening. The strong wind gusts also resulted in at least four semi-trucks being blown over in the Mojave area. The winds slowly diminished overnight as the trough moved east of our area.
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 28, 1:15 PM PST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 215 PM PDT Thu Apr 28 2022 .SYNOPSIS... Strong wind gusts will continue in the Mojave Desert through this evening with breezy conditions across the San Joaquin Valley. A warming trend will occur resulting in temperatures a little above normal on Saturday. Slight cooling on Sunday then little changes into early next week. Breezy conditions will persist with strong gusts possible in the Kern County Mountains and Desert at times. && .DISCUSSION... Satellite loops show sunny skies prevailing throughout the central California interior this afternoon. A dry upper trough moved through early this morning ushering in a cooler air mass which is noted by 24 hour temperature trends down around 3 to 6 degrees. Temperatures are forecast to reach the lower to middle 70s across the San Joaquin Valley today, which is around 4 to 8 degrees below climatological averages for late April. The trough also brought an increase in wind across the region with widespread breezy conditions. The SFO-LAS surface pressure gradient has ramped up to nearly 15mb, resulting in strong wind gusts through the Kern County mountain passes and into the desert. A Wind Advisory remains in effect for the Mojave Desert and adjacent slopes until 11pm this evening, with gusts to around 55 mph expected. Short wave ridging moves over the west coast on Friday for a modest warming trend and continued dry conditions. High temperatures are forecast to climb back into the lower to middle 80s across the SJV on Saturday, around 2 to 6 degrees above average. Models agree with an upper low dropping down over the Great Basin on Sunday bringing another uptick in winds and a little cooling, but no precipitation. Another upper low takes a similar track but a little farther east on Tuesday. Ensemble solutions show an amplified ridge over California on Wednesday. Temperatures are forecast to climb to around 8 to 12 degrees above average on Wednesday with highs around 90 degrees across the SJ Valley. && .AVIATION... Surface winds gusting to 45 knots across the Kern County Mountains and Desert through 06Z Friday Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail throughout Central California for at least 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... Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for CAZ337>339. && DCH weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 high wind, 2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Walker Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph.
The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 78 mph.
The Mojave Airport AWOS measured a peak wind gust of 64 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Paradise Cove measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
California Highway Patrol reported three semi-trucks rolled over near the intersection of SR 58 and SR 14.
Jawbone Station measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The Cache Creek CHP station measured a peak wind gust of 66 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Cache Creek measured a peak wind gust of 67 mph.
The Jawbone Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 68 mph.
California Highway Patrol reported a semi-truck was blown over at the intersection of SR 14 and Silver Queen Rd.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2022
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: 1012179, 1012178, 1012182, 1012184, 1012185, 1012183, 1012181, 1012180, 1012177, 1012186.