A strengthening surface high pressure center over the Great Basin interacted with an incoming low pressure system off the southern California coast to produce a strong offshore pressure gradient during the morning and early afternoon hours of January 28. This resulted in a brief period of strong offshore winds over the Kern County Mountains with several stations measuring gusts exceeding 40 mph…
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 strengthening surface high pressure center over the Great Basin interacted with an incoming low pressure system off the southern California coast to produce a strong offshore pressure gradient during the morning and early afternoon hours of January 28. This resulted in a brief period of strong offshore winds over the Kern County Mountains with several stations measuring gusts exceeding 40 mph with a few stations briefly measuring gusts above 60 mph. The winds diminished by late afternoon as the gradients relaxed.
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 Jan 28, 3:31 AM PST, 5 hours 19 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 331 AM PST Fri Jan 28 2022 .SYNOPSIS... Patchy fog is likely in the San Joaquin Valley overnight into Friday morning. High temperatures Friday afternoon will be around five to eight degrees above normal for this time of year. Mild afternoon January temperatures will persist through most of this weekend. A cooling trend is expected early next week. Dry weather will persist. && .DISCUSSION... Strong ridging over the southwest with a quasi-omega synoptic pattern setup will bring continued above normal temperatures through most of the weekend. Temperatures have been running about 5 to 8 degrees above normal levels. The surface high pressure over the Great Basin coupled with a cutoff low feature, moving southeastward that will later move into southern California by Sunday, on the western side of the broad upper level ridging over the western CONUS will create a steeper off shore gradient flow. This flow will create breezy to gusty northeast to eastern winds in the Kern County mountains and passes later today. A wind advisory has been issued for these areas through 7 PM today. As this Pacific cutoff low move into southern California by Sunday a slight cooling trend will then bring a return to near to slightly below normal temperatures by early next week. Another trough moving southward on the eastern side of Pacific ridging will bring another reinforcing shot of cooler temperatures, however, with very little moisture associated with this trough a continuation of dry weather unfortunately looks to continue. By late in the workweek next week the Pacific ridging will move eastward into the region once again bringing a warming trend to above normal levels once again by the end of next week. Pretty quiet weather pattern continues and with it unfortunately comes continued lack of precipitation. Lets hope February brings a return to wetter weather. && .AVIATION... Widespread MVFR visibility in haze across the San Joaquin Valley with areas of IFR in mist and localized IFR/LIFR in fog until 18Z Friday. Gusty east southeast winds up to 45 knots developing across the Kern County Mountains after 03Z Friday. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail across the Central California interior during the next 24 hours. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... On Friday January 28 2022... Unhealthy for sensitive groups in Fresno County. Fireplace/Wood Stove Burning Status is: No Burning Unless Registered in Kern... Kings... Madera... Merced and Tulare Counties. No Burning For All 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 7 PM PST this evening for CAZ316-322-332>336. && Public/Aviation/Fire Weather...Andersen PIO/DSS........................JEB weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The PG&E station 5NW Lebec measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
The Southern California Edison station at Rancho Ridge measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
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, January 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: 994689, 994690.