Strong cyclonic flow behind the departed trough that brought moderate to heavy precipitation to the area on March 21 and 22 produced downslope winds across the Kern County Deserts during the evening of March 23 and the morning of March 24. The winds were most noticible along the Mojave Desert Slopes where several stations measured gusts above 55 mph.
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 HNX wrote it up.
Strong cyclonic flow behind the departed trough that brought moderate to heavy precipitation to the area on March 21 and 22 produced downslope winds across the Kern County Deserts during the evening of March 23 and the morning of March 24. The winds were most noticible along the Mojave Desert Slopes where several stations measured gusts above 55 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 Mar 23, 1:47 PM PST, 7 hours 39 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 247 PM PDT Thu Mar 23 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Light, lingering precipitation will fall in our area the rest of today and will clear out by tomorrow. Light snow may fall on the I-5 and Highway 58 passes during this time. Calm weather is expected for the rest of the week for the valley and there may be light mountain showers expected Saturday afternoon. The next system will impact our area starting next Monday night and run through Wednesday. && .DISCUSSION... The upper level trough will be moving out of our area by tomorrow and on its way out will bring light precipitation to the foothills and the Sierra Nevada. The passes for I-5 and Highway 58 may see an inch to 3 inches of snow above 3000ft. Driving conditions may be hazardous. Calm weather will prevail through the weekend. An upper level trough will clip the Sierra Nevada on Saturday, causing light mountain showers, although the chances of showers are low, around 10-25% for 0.01 inches in the mountains. An upper level ridge will start to dominate the area on Sunday, bringing calm weather once again. Ridge development will be taken over by an upper level trough that will dive further down than the trough on Saturday. This trough will bring another storm system with it and cause more moderate to heavy rainfall in the valley and Sierra foothills and heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada above 4000ft. Probabilities for some of our mountain locations receiving 12 inches of snow or more for Tuesday at 5 AM to Wednesday at 5 AM are ~60-70%. This system should clear out by Thursday. More information will become available as time goes on and our confidence will grow in the amounts for this system. && .AVIATION... A few rain showers will continue this afternoon and evening as moisture continues to linger in the area. Any rain showers will be brief, but could cause some brief reductions in visibility. In addition to the rain showers, expect low ceilings through the evening and into the overnight, with some clearing expected tomorrow morning. These low ceilings, combined with some mountain snowfall on the southern edge of the San Joaquin Valley through the overnight. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... ISSUED: 03/23/2023 13:50 EXPIRES: 03/24/2023 23:59 None. && .CERTAINTY... The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is medium. 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 and/or to provide feedback. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 8 AM PDT Friday for CAZ338. Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 11 AM PDT Friday for CAZ334>336. && public...EW aviation....Matt Ludwig weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 72 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Little Oak Canyon measured a peak wind gust of 67 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Cottonwood Canyon measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Paradise Cove measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
The Mojave Airport AWOS measured a peak wind gust of 68 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Cottonwood Creek West measured a peak wind gust of 81 mph.
The Cache Creek CHP Station measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 2023
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: 1077924, 1077919, 1077921, 1077923, 1078185, 1077922, 1077920, 1078181.