High pressure of 1026 millibars over the Great Basin in Nevada led to strong Santa Ana winds and cold temperatures impacting Southern California, including tree damage.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 SGX wrote it up.
High pressure of 1026 millibars over the Great Basin in Nevada led to strong Santa Ana winds and cold temperatures impacting Southern California, including tree damage.
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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 1, 8:52 PM PST, 3 hours 8 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Diego CA
852 PM PST Tue Feb 1 2022
.SYNOPSIS...
Skies will clear tonight as Santa Ana winds develop, first over
areas north of San Diego County, then farther south later on
WEdnesday and into Thursday. This dry and breezy pattern will
persist for the remainder of the week. It will be colder Wednesday,
especially in the mountains and deserts, then warmer into the
weekend.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...
High clouds cleared SoCal this evening, but at 8 PM PST, there were
still some patches of lower clouds over the San Diego County
valleys. The sfc pressure gradients were trending offshore, and there
has been a slow increase in N-NE winds over the San Bernardino Mts.
At last report, several sites near the Cajon Pass had gusts of 25-35
MPH. Our 00Z Miramar sounding had 3C inversion based near 5K FT MSL.
The saturated layer was only about 200-300 FT deep though. Watching
the rising cloud bases and decreasing trend, were not encouraging
for any spotty drizzle formation, and there is no precipitation
forecast by the latest HRRR runs either. With this in mind, the
patchy drizzle has been removed from the forecast tonight, and a
Zone Forecast update has been issued.
From previous discussion...
A short wave trough and attendant vort max will move south across
the region tonight into Wednesday. Surface pressure gradients will
quickly turn offshore tonight and strengthen as high pressure builds
behind this system in the northern Great Basin. There is some upper
level support with northerly winds of around 15-20 kt at 850 mb and
30 kt at 700 mb. These winds are even stronger to the east of our
forecast area, where the ECMWF EFI has a max of 1 and a shift-of-
tails of 1 over the lower Colorado River Valley! Values are lower
here, generally between 0.6 and 0.8, signifying an unusual but not
an extreme event. Local WRF as well as the CANSAC WRF are showing
mountain waves developing downwind of the San Bernardino Mountains
into the Inland Empire. These surfacing waves are capable of
producing stronger, potentially damaging winds outside of the normal
windy areas. Strong downsloping winds are likely across the coastal
slopes and foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains as well.
Trended wind forecast upwards with gusts 45-60 mph, mainly for the
San Bernardino Mountains, Inland Empire and Santa Ana Mountains.
Isolated gusts of 70 mph or more are likely in the wind prone
locations, such as the coastal foothills of the San Gabriel
Mountains and Fremont Canyon, on Wednesday. The Wind Advisory was
upgraded to a High Wind Warning for the San Bernardino Mountains,
Inland Empire, and Santa Ana Mountains. Winds begin to slowly weaken
Wednesday night into Thursday, becoming more confined to the wind
prone areas as upper support and surface gradients weaken. A second
short wave dropping south through the interior west will provide a
boost on Friday, especially across the San Diego County mountains
and foothills as offshore gradients to the east peak. WPC Cluster
Analysis shows some spread in the track of this next wave, which
would affect just how strong the winds are here, so confidence is
lower for this portion of the event.
A brief break in the winds occurs on Saturday. Another short wave
dropping south inland will bring another round of Santa Ana Winds
on Sunday and Monday, weakening Tuesday. Gradual warming through
Friday with little change Saturday as heights slowly rise. The ridge
builds in to the north with weak east-west troughing lingering
across So Cal early next week, which could limit warming from the
next round of offshore flow.
&&
.AVIATION...
020445Z...SCT-BKN clouds with bases 3000-5000 fee MSL mainly over
San Diego County will gradually dissipate through 08Z Wed.
Otherwise, mostly clear skies with unrestricted vis will prevail
through Wed night.
Areas of northeast winds 20-30 knots with gusts 35-55 knots will
develop 06Z-14Z Wed, peak 19Z-23Z Wed, then weaken slightly Wed
night. The main areas will be over and southwest of the San
Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains, especially VCNTY Cajon Pass
and over and southwest of the Santa Ana Mountains. KONT, KRAL, KCNO,
KAJO will have the greatest impacts with peak gusts around 45 knots
likely, with KSNA also likely to have northeast winds, with peak
gusts to 30 knots likely Wed. Areas of LLWS will occur Wed/Wed night
over and southwest of the mountains, likely south extending to VCNTY
KSAN by Wed night.
&&
.MARINE...
Areas of northeasterly wind gusts of 25 to 30 kt are likely
Wednesday and Wednesday night, which could lead to hazardous
conditions for small craft, including choppy wind waves. A Small
Craft Advisory is in effect from 7 AM Wednesday to 4 AM Thursday. No
hazardous marine conditions are then expected during the day
Thursday through Sunday.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
Santa Ana winds develop this evening and quickly strengthen early
Wednesday morning. The strongest winds will occur across the
mountains and coastal slopes in San Bernardino County and Orange
County and locally into the Inland Empire, peaking on Wednesday.
North to northeast wind gusts 45 to 60 mph are expected with
isolated gusts of 70 mph or more near the foothills of the San
Bernardino Mountains, below the Cajon Pass, and in the Santa Ana
Mountains. Winds will be considerably weaker across San Diego
County. Winds slowly weaken during the day Thu, but may strengthen
again and turn more easterly on Friday. Minimum relative humidity
values may fall to 10-15% Wednesday through Friday. Winds will
briefly turn back onshore on Saturday before Santa Ana winds
redevelop for Sunday and Monday.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...Wind Advisory from 10 PM this evening to noon PST Thursday for
Orange County Inland Areas.
High Wind Warning from 10 PM this evening to noon PST Thursday
for San Bernardino County Mountains-San Bernardino and
Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire-Santa Ana
Mountains and Foothills.
Wind Advisory from 10 AM to 7 PM PST Wednesday for Coachella
Valley-San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 7 AM Wednesday to 4 AM PST Thursday
for Coastal Waters from San Mateo Point to the Mexican
Border and out to 30 nm-Waters from San Mateo point to the
Mexican Border Extending 30 to 60 nm out including San
Clemente Island.
&&
PUBLIC...10/SS
FIRE WEATHER...SS
AVIATION/MARINE...MaxwellThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind, 2 strong wind, 2 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Gusty Santa Ana winds occurred across the region. El Cariso RAWS station measured a 62 MPH wind gust.
Widespread gusty Santa Ana winds 45-55 MPH occurred across the Inland Empire. SCE851 station at Jurupa Valley recorded a 65 MPH wind gust.
Widespread gusty Santa Ana winds 45-65 MPH occurred across the area. Marshall Peak recorded a 91 MPH wind gust.
Widespread gusty Santa Ana winds occurred across the region. Toro Peak recorded a 66 MPH wind gust.
There were two large trees blown down and uprooted near Chemawa Middle School in Riverside. Wind gusts were near 45 MPH at the near by Riverside Airport ASOS.
Tree smashed into the side of dormitory on the campus of California Baptist University in Riverside. No reported injuries and minor damage.
Cold temperatures occurred across the region with readings getting down into the upper 20s and low 30s.
Cold temperatures occurred across the region with readings getting down into the upper 20s and low 30s.
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, February 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: 1007255, 1007256, 1007257, 1007258, 1007253, 1007254, 1007259, 1007260.