California, 2024

Strong Wind in California, July 24, 2024

July 24, 2024 · NWS PSR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Spotty convective showers developed in the morning around Imperial County. These cells were fairly weak and may have produced a lightning flash or two along with some very light rainfall.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PSR wrote it up.

Spotty convective showers developed in the morning around Imperial County. These cells were fairly weak and may have produced a lightning flash or two along with some very light rainfall. At least one of the cells near Holtville managed to produce a localized microburst that knocked over around 50 power poles. The environment was favorable for strong downbursts given a dry sub-cloud layer with objective analysis showing DCAPE around 1400-1500 J/kg at the time of the event. Given the loose sandy soils of the area, power poles can fall over with sub-severe wind speeds. Thus, considering this, the environment, and the relatively weak intensity of the convective showers, winds were estimated at 50 to 55 mph.

What forecasters said that day

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 Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 24, 4:05 AM PST, 4 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 24, 4:05 AM PST, 4 hours 55 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Imperial County Southeast

When
July 24, 9:00 AM PST
Where
Imperial County Southeast forecast zone
Measured
48 kt (55 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
Utility Company
Coordinates
33.040, -115.365 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around 50 power poles were blown down along a north-south oriented dirt road that passes by the Ormesa 2 Geothermal Site east of Holtville. Timing estimated from radar and winds were estimated at 50-55 mph based on radar and the environment. Damage cost was estimated.

What these are

Strong Wind
Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in California, July 2024

Sources

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1278853.