A strong upper trough pushed into California during the evening of May 7 through the afternoon of May 8 producing a very strong onshore pressure gradient. This resulted in a period of windy conditions across the mountains and deserts of Kern County with several stations measuring gusts exceeding 60 mph and a few low impact indicator sites reporting gusts above 75 mph.
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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 upper trough pushed into California during the evening of May 7 through the afternoon of May 8 producing a very strong onshore pressure gradient. This resulted in a period of windy conditions across the mountains and deserts of Kern County with several stations measuring gusts exceeding 60 mph and a few low impact indicator sites reporting gusts above 75 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 7, 1:53 PM PST, 9 hours 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 253 PM PDT Sat May 7 2022 .SYNOPSIS... The district will experience much below average temperatures along with chances of precipitation in the Sierra each day through the middle of next week. Periods of very strong winds will be likely in the Kern County mountains, desert, and higher elevations of the Sierra through Monday. Temperatures will then return to the upper 80s to low 90s by next weekend with dry weather returning. && .DISCUSSION... Current temperatures across the central California interior are 5 to 10 degrees cooler compared to this time yesterday. It's even cooler today in the Tehachapi area thanks in part to persistent stratus and fog. Temperatures will max out in the mid to upper 70s across the valley and desert, which is around the seasonal average for this time of year. There is currently a lull in the strong winds in Kern County, which maxed out around 55 mph in some areas early today. Winds will once again pick up later this evening as surface gradients strengthen and our next trough moves into NorCal. As our next system moves into central California winds will continue to ramp up overnight into Monday. High-resolution models and the HREF show surface pressure gradients between SFO-LAS increasing up to 20-22mb with gradients between BFL-DAG up to 8mb. In addition, high-resolution models and the HREF indicate that a strong 90 to 100kt jet max at 500mb will move into the region. This all equates to very strong winds in the mountains and desert. As such, I have opted to go higher that the 90th percentile NBM wind gusts for Sunday into Monday morning. A High Wind Warning will go into effect at 1 AM PDT tonight until 9 AM PDT Monday for the Mojave Desert Slopes and Indian Wells Valley where gusts up to 75 mph are likely. A Wind Advisory will remain in effect for the remainder of the Kern Mountains and desert until 9 AM PDT where wind gusts up to 55 mph are likely. Lastly, strong winds will impact the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada as the strong jet max passes through the region. As such, I have opted for a Wind Advisory for the Yosemite area from 7 AM PDT until 11 PM PDT Sunday, where wind gusts up to 55 mph are likely - mainly above 8,000 feet. We will see a bit of moisture with next system. Up to 1/3rd of an inch of QPF and 1-3" of snow is possible in the Yosemite area on Sunday. Snow levels will fall through the day to as low as 4,000 feet by the afternoon. However, the HREF shows 850mb temperatures between of 2-3C when the majority of the precipitation is falling, so I have opted to go with lower snow ratio of 10:1. Model ensembles indicate that a general trough pattern will continue into the middle of next week with slight chances of precipitation in the high Sierra. Temperatures will then slowly warm by the end of next week back to above average readings. && .AVIATION... Strong surface winds over 35 knots likely across the Sierra as well as Kern County mountains and desert during the next 24 hours. Local mountain obscuring IFR conditions possible in valley facing slopes through 03Z Sun.Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail throughout the Central CA Interior 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 9 AM PDT Monday for CAZ331>334-339. High Wind Warning from 1 AM Sunday to 9 AM PDT Monday for CAZ337- 338. Wind Advisory until 1 AM PDT Sunday for CAZ337-338. Wind Advisory from 7 AM to 11 PM PDT Sunday for CAZ323. && public...CMC aviation....CMC weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Jawbone Station measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 68 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Grapevine Canyon Rd measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Cache Creek measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Paradise Cove measured a peak wind gust of 64 mph.
The Jawbone Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 78 mph.
The Bear Peak RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 68 mph.
The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 90 mph.
The Blue Max RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 79 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: 1013225, 1013223, 1013224, 1013229, 1013216, 1013219, 1013218, 1013217, 1013221.