Following a prolonged heat wave with near record highs across much of the area between September 4 and September 9, a trough moved through the region on September 10 and 11 bringing much cooler temperatures to the area along with a period of increased winds during the evening of September 11. The winds were most noticeable over eastern Kern County where several stations measured gusts exceeding…
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The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
Following a prolonged heat wave with near record highs across much of the area between September 4 and September 9, a trough moved through the region on September 10 and 11 bringing much cooler temperatures to the area along with a period of increased winds during the evening of September 11. The winds were most noticeable over eastern Kern County where several stations measured gusts exceeding 45 mph and some low impact indicator sites had some gusts exceeding 60 mph. The winds decreased during the morning of September 12 as the trough moved to the east of the region.
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 Sep 11, 12:00 PM PST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 100 PM PDT Wed Sep 11 2024 && .KEY MESSAGES... 1. Wind Advisory in effect until 11 AM Thursday morning. 2. Cooling trend continues through tomorrow before a warmup for the weekend. 3. Low daytime humidity, poor overnight recovery, and high winds will provide for an elevated risk of grass fires in eastern Kern County and over the West Side Hills through the week. 4. A second trough is expected to slide in Monday through Tuesday bringing cooler temperatures again and a 40 to 65 percent probability of at least 0.05 inches of rain on Monday. 5. The trough lowers snow levels to 9,000 to 9,500 feet. Latest models have a 55 percent probability of 2 inches or more of snow for Tioga Pass on Monday. 6. The trough also brings a 10 to 20 percent chance of thunderstorms to the Sierra Nevada, && .DISCUSSION... A trough is sliding across the West Coast today bringing cooler temperatures. However, this trough also is helping bring stronger winds to eastern Kern County resulting in a Wind Advisory until 11 AM Thursday morning. Luckily, there is near 0 probability of thunderstorms over the Sierra Nevada for today and Thursday. For Thursday, we have a 10 percent probability or less of high temperatures in the 90s in the San Joaquin Valley. However, as the ridge slides east, temperatures will increase for the weekend with a 55 to 85 percent probability of high temperatures in the 90s for Friday and a 15 Io 40 percent probability of high temperatures of at least 95 degrees for Saturday. On Sunday, temperatures began to drop again as another trough starts to move in. Latest probabilistic models have a 40 to 60 percent probability of at least 0.05 inches of rain for the San Joaquin Valley on Monday. Temperatures also drop significantly on Monday as there is a less than 30 percent probability of high temperatures of at least 80 degrees. Model ensembles are in agreement that this second trough will be stronger and will remain nearby through the middle of next week keeping temperatures cooler. There currently is a 10 to 20 percent probability of thunderstorms Monday afternoon for the Sierra Nevada as part of this pattern change. Snow levels are currently expected to drop to about 9,000 to 9,500 feet with this second trough. Models are showing a 55 percent probability of 2 inches or more of snow for Tioga Pass on Monday. && .AVIATION... Areas of MVFR and local IFR visibilities near wildfires. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail across the central CA interior over 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 and/or to provide feedback. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 11 AM PDT Thursday for CAZ338-339. && JPK weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Southern California Edison station at Cottonwood Creek West measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph.
The Jawbone Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 68 mph.
The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 64 mph.
The Blue Max RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 68 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, September 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: 1201743, 1201739, 1201741, 1201742, 1201740.