A strong onshore pressure gradient as a result of interaction between a strong upper trough in the Great basin and an offshore ridge produced a period a gusty wind across much of the mountains and deserts of Kern County between the morning of May 28 and the evening of May 29. Several stations measured gusts exceeding 50 mph and a few low impact indicator sites reported gusts above 70 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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 strong onshore pressure gradient as a result of interaction between a strong upper trough in the Great basin and an offshore ridge produced a period a gusty wind across much of the mountains and deserts of Kern County between the morning of May 28 and the evening of May 29. Several stations measured gusts exceeding 50 mph and a few low impact indicator sites reported gusts above 70 mph.
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 May 28, 1:38 PM PST, 38 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 238 PM PDT Sat May 28 2022 .SYNOPSIS...Cooler than normal conditions will continue across central California through the remainder of the Memorial Day weekend. Strong winds are expected until at least Sunday evening for the Kern County desert and adjacent slopes. Temperatures will warm to around 10 degrees above average during the middle of next week before dropping back to typical values for early June by the end of the week. Dry weather will persist for the foreseeable future. && .DISCUSSION... The break from early summerlike heat continues today, with afternoon highs on track to top out right around normal for late May. The developing trough over the western United States which has brought the cooler weather is also producing gusty winds over the Kern County mountain and desert areas as SFO-LAS surface pressure gradient has increased to 14.6 mb. A few of the typically windier ridgetops have occasionally seen gusts over 60 mph today. Model solutions are similar in maintaining the large trough pattern over the west half of the country through early next week, with passing shortwave troughs tracking through. Onshore surface pressure gradients are progged to further tighten through this evening then relax overnight before tightening up again Sunday. Meanwhile additional jet energy moving overhead will support continued strong gusty winds across the Kern County mountain and desert areas. Blended model guidance suggests a 70 to 80 percent probability for gusts exceeding 38 knots in much of these areas through the evening and 60 to 70 percent Sunday and Sunday evening. A Wind Advisory remains in effect there through 11 PM Sunday night. In addition to wind and cooler temperatures, models depict sufficient moisture in this northwesterly flow to kick of some possible light upslope showers in the Kern County mountains, as indicated by a small area of 10 to 20 percent probabilities of precipitation in the blended guidance for tonight through Sunday morning. As much as 1/10 of an inch is indicated in a few locations. but any rainfall produced is expected to be light. Sunday is expected to be the coolest day of this mild Memorial Day weekend, with high temperatures likely to run around 5 degrees below normal. As examples, Merced and Fresno have 60 percent probabilities of staying 5 or more degrees below their respective normal high temperatures for May 29th, while Bakersfield has a 72 percent probability. Monday is forecast to be just a degree or so warmer than Sunday, then weak ridging brings temperatures up to around normal by Tuesday and continuing to around 10 degrees above normal for the middle of next week. Another trough developing off the west coast will then trend temperatures back to near normal values for the end of next week. Other than the possible light upslope precip overnight into Sunday, our forecast remains dry throughout the forecast period. && .AVIATION...VFR conditions will prevail throughout the Central California interior for at least the next 24 hours. Local surface wind gusts reaching 35 to 45 knots will be possible across the eastern slopes of the Kern County mountains and much of the Kern County desert through Sunday evening. && .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 Sunday for CAZ338. Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT Sunday for CAZ337-339. && public...JEB aviation....JEB weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Jawbone Station measured a peak wind gust of 67 mph.
Red Rock Canyon measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
The Walker Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Paradise Cove measured a peak wind gust of 64 mph.
The Laural Mountain RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 75 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station on Grapevine Canyon Road measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
The Blue Max RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 74 mph.
The Mojave Airport AWOS measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The Jawbone Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 63 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, May 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: 1017342, 1017343, 1017338, 1017339, 1017340, 1017337, 1017346, 1017344, 1017341, 1017345, 1017336.