High Wind in California, March 13 to 15, 2024

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sacramento CA
322 PM PDT Wed Mar 13 2024

.Synopsis...
Strong and damaging winds likely over the Sierra above 4000 feet
this evening through Friday with gusty winds elsewhere. Warming
and drying trend through the weekend with above normal
temperatures into next week.

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Confidence continues to be good in a north to east wind event for
tonight through Friday. A cool upper low from western Canada
dropping into the Great Basin coupled with eastern Pacific ridging
building into the Pacific Northwest. This low will then move into
Southern California and linger for a couple days. This track is a
favorable pattern for strong and gusty winds both down the
Sacramento Valley into the Delta and downslope along the Sierra.
The Extreme Forecast Index (EFI) signal continues to highlight
anomalous speeds and gusts over those areas with a particularly
high signal over the Sierra above 4,000 feet along interstate 80
from Blue Canyon to Donner Pass southward towards Yosemite. A High
Wind Warning remains in effect for the Sierra above 4,000 feet,
where northeast winds 40 to 55 mph with gusts up to 80 mph are
possible. Damaging winds will likely blow down trees, which could
bring down power lines and bring power outages. Travel will be
difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. A Wind Advisory
remains in effect for the Northern Sacramento Valley, Central
Sacramento Valley, Southern Sacramento Valley, portions of the
northern Coastal Range, Carquinez Strait and Delta and Northern
San Joaquin Valley with north winds 25 to 35 mph and gusts up to
45 mph expected. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power
outages may result. Winds will continue through Friday, then
diminish late in the day as the low weakens and begins to shift
east over Arizona. Upper level ridging will build over Northern
California over the weekend with dry weather and Valley high
temperatures in the 70's. Temperatures will be above normal, but
record highs are not expected.

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.EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Sunday THROUGH Wednesday)...

Ensembles and clusters indicate that interior NorCal will remain
sandwiched between an upper high to the north and an upper low to
the southeast. This will bring dry conditions and light winds
Sunday into early next week. High temperatures in the Valley will
reach into 70s over the weekend into early next week. Light
precipitation may return to the mountains by midweek.

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.AVIATION...
VFR conditions over interior NorCal next 24 hrs. In the Central
Valley, widespread Nly sfc wind 15-25 kts with lcl gusts up to 35
kts through 03z, then strengthening again tomorrow after 15z, with
gusts to 25 to 35 kts, locally to 40 kts. In foothills/mtns,
areas NE-E surface wind 15-30 kts, local NEly sfc wind 30-45 kts
over higher terrain after 06z Thu,

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.STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Wind Advisory until 5 PM PDT Friday for Carquinez Strait and
Delta-Central Sacramento Valley-Mountains Southwestern Shasta
County to Western Colusa County-Northeast Foothills/Sacramento
Valley-Northern Sacramento Valley-Northern San Joaquin Valley-
Shasta Lake Area / Northern Shasta County-Southern Sacramento
Valley.

High Wind Warning from 11 PM this evening to 5 PM PDT Friday for
West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada-Western Plumas County/Lassen
Park.

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