A deep upper trough moved through central California on April 25 and 26. This system produced scattered showers across the area during the morning of April 26 and also brought a period of strong winds across the Mojave Desert slopes in Kern County between the afternoon of April 25 and the evening of April 26 where several stations reported gusts exceeding 60 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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 deep upper trough moved through central California on April 25 and 26. This system produced scattered showers across the area during the morning of April 26 and also brought a period of strong winds across the Mojave Desert slopes in Kern County between the afternoon of April 25 and the evening of April 26 where several stations reported gusts exceeding 60 mph. Several stations across the remainder of the Kern County mountains and deserts reported gusts exceeding 45 mph during this same time period.
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 Apr 25, 11:50 AM PST, 6 hours 42 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 1250 PM PDT Thu Apr 25 2024 && .KEY MESSAGES... 1. A High Wind Warning has been issued for the Kern County Mountains and Mojave Desert Slopes valid through 11 pm Friday. 2. A cooling trend back to just below seasonal normals lasting through Friday. 3. The next storm system will impact Central California Friday with mountain snow, foothills rain, and a chance of valley thunderstorms. 4. A warming trend begins on Sunday and will last through the week ahead with dry conditions. && .DISCUSSION... A tight pressure gradient influenced by the low pressure system moving east and the high pressure ridge off the coast of California will bring light rain, snow, thunderstorms, and wind to the area. For winds particularly, Kern County will see the majority of the high winds. There is a greater than 85% chance of wind gusts higher than 45 miles per hour throughout the eastern part of Kern County. Highest winds will be observed in the typical windy zones, the Mojave Desert Slopes, where the probabilities of 60 mile per hour winds are 85-90%. As such, a Wind Advisory has been issued for much of eastern Kern County, and a High Wind Warning has been issued for the Mojave Desert slopes through 11pm PDT tomorrow evening. Alongside these winds and with the storm system moving in, temperatures will continue to be cooler than normal through tomorrow, with high temperatures roughly 7-10 degrees cooler than normal for this time of year. As another low pressure system forms and drops southward just to the east of the state, there will be a chance for thunderstorms. These thunderstorms will mostly be in the Sierra Nevada and foothills, but there is a chance for some of the thunderstorms to make their way into the San Joaquin Valley and northern Kern County. Here are probabilities for select locations to see thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon and evening: Yosemite Valley/Mariposa/Oakhurst/Shaver Lake: 25% Tioga Pass: 22% Grant Grove: 23% Fresno/Visalia: 18% Merced/Madera: 17% As the second low pressure system progresses eastward through the weekend, zonal flow will take over, warming temperatures back up and bringing dry conditions back to the area. Beginning Sunday, temperatures will begin warming back up, reaching roughly 7-10 degrees above normal for this time of year by the middle of next week. && .AVIATION... A low VFR ceiling will continue until 21Z. The Sierra and Kern County Mountains may have localized mountain MVFR obscurations. The Kern County and Mojave Desert has a high probability of surface wind sustaining above 30 KTS through the TAF period. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail throughout Central California for at least the next 24 hours. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... ISSUED: 04/24/2024 14:25 EXPIRES: 04/25/2024 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... High Wind Warning until 11 PM PDT Friday for CAZ338. Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT Friday for CAZ331-333-334-337- 339. && public/aviation...AS PIO/IDSS..........EW weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Blue Max RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
The Southern California Edison station at Cache Creek measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph.
The Southern California Edison station at Little Oak Canyon measured a peak wind gust of 61 mph.
The Mojave Airport AWOS measured a peak wind gust of 68 mph.
The Jawbone Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 71 mph.
The China Lake NWTC ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph.
The North Edwards AFB ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph.
The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 73 mph.
The Laural Mountain RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
Jawbone Station measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
The Walker Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
The Bear Peak RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph.
The Southern California Edison station at Cottonwood Canyon 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 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2024
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: 1164487, 1164484, 1164486, 1164485, 1164099, 1164668, 1164667, 1164483, 1164666, 1164488, 1164669, 1164664, 1164665.