California, 2025High Wind in California, January 7 to 25, 2025
January 7 to 25, 2025 · NWS SGX · 8 events in 5 counties and zones
Prolonged Santa Ana winds and fire weather danger early to mid January with the strongest events between January 7-8, 9-10.
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $380,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 8
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.
Prolonged Santa Ana winds and fire weather danger early to mid January with the strongest events between January 7-8, 9-10.
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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 7, 4:23 AM PST, 2 hours 37 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 4:23 AM PST, 2 hours 37 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Diego CA
423 AM PST Tue Jan 7 2025
.SYNOPSIS...
A low pressure system from the north will bring much cooler weather
for today and Wednesday with snow showers on the north slopes of
the mountains into this morning. Santa Ana winds will strengthen
and spread southward today with periods of strong and damaging
Santa Ana winds for tonight and Wednesday along and below the
coastal slopes of the mountains along with high fire danger. Winds
will not be as strong on Thursday. Warmer for Friday and Saturday
with weaker winds, then cooler and breezy for early next week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...
.SHORT TERM (Today through Thursday)...
A cold low pressure system from the north will move quickly across
southern California today and into northern Baja tonight, then
move slowly toward the south and east for Wednesday and Thursday.
It will be much cooler for inland areas for today and Wednesday
with high temperatures for today as much as 15 to 20 degrees
cooler than Monday for the mountains and high desert.
Showers will continue to move southward across the high desert
intothe adjacent mountains and inland valleys this morning with
the greatest chances for precipitation and precipitation
accumulations along the north slopes of the mountains in San
Bernardino County. There could be snowfall of 2 to 5 inches on the
north slopes of those mountains through this morning.
Northerly Santa Ana winds will strengthen this morning across
Orange and San Bernardino Counties and spread into San Diego
County for late today and tonight as the winds become more
northeasterly. Winds below the Cajon Pass and along the adjacent
coastal mountains are gusting greater than 40 mph with the
strongest gust trough 4 AM of 65 mph. The strongest and most
widespread winds are expected for tonight into Wednesday with the
greatest potential for damaging winds along and below the coastal
slopes of the mountains.
The winds will diminish on Wednesday night. The winds on Thursday
will not be as strong, but still gust to 40 to 50 mph in the
windier locations.
&&
.LONG TERM (Friday through Monday)...
Warmer inland for Friday and Saturday with weaker winds. Then
cooler and breezy for Sunday and Monday with greater spread in the
strength of potential Santa Ana winds for early next week.
&&
.AVIATION...
071030Z...Low clouds vcnty KSAN will continue through 14Z with bases
around 2000 feet. Clouds and showers will move into the San
Bernardino Mountains and spill into San Jacinto Mountains and inland
valleys through 20Z. Cloud bases will be around 10000 feet MSL, and
some peaks could become obscured at times through 20Z. Offshore
winds will increase in foothills and inland valleys, becoming more
widespread during the day. Pockets of LLWS south and west of
mountains are expected through 18Z before widespread winds surface.
Areas of 30-40 mph with higher gusts will generate areas of BLDU and
reduced vis 2-5SM after 17Z along with strong up/downdrafts in lee
of mountains. These winds and conditions will continue tonight into
Wednesday.
&&
.MARINE...
Offshore winds of 20-30 kt with occasional gusts exceeding 30 kt
will develop late this morning and continue into Wednesday
afternoon. This will result in choppy and hazardous boating
conditions, and a Small Craft Advisory is in effect containing more
details. Winds gradually decrease late Wednesday into Thursday and
no additional hazardous marine conditions are expected Wednesday
night through Saturday.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
Moderate to strong northerly to northeasterly Santa Ana winds
will develop this morning, with widespread gusts of 55 to 65 mph
along the coastal slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains, below
the Cajon Pass, and into the Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills.
Gusts 45 to 55 mph are possible into the Inland Empire below the
Cajon Pass and near the foothills of the Santa Ana mountains in
Orange County. Relative humidity for inland Orange County and the
Inland Empire will fall to 15 to 25 percent today with a lesser
decrease for San Diego County.
The strongest and most widespread winds are expected for tonight
into Wednesday with gusts along and below the coastal slopes of
the mountains of 65 to 75 mph. There will be poor overnight
recovery of humidity with lowest humidity on Wednesday of 10 to 20
percent and 10 to 15 percent on Thursday but with winds on
Thursday not as strong with gusts to 40 to 50 mph.
Very dry conditions will continue for inland areas on Friday, but
with weaker winds. For early next week, there is greater model
spread in the strength of potential Santa Ana winds.
&&
.SKYWARN...
Skywarn activation is not requested. However weather spotters are
encouraged to report significant weather conditions.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...High Wind Warning from 4 PM this afternoon to 2 PM PST Wednesday
for Orange County Coastal Areas-San Diego County Coastal
Areas.
High Wind Warning until 6 PM PST Wednesday for Orange County
Inland Areas-San Bernardino County Mountains-San Bernardino
and Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire-Santa Ana
Mountains and Foothills.
Red Flag Warning from 1 PM this afternoon to 6 PM PST Thursday
for Orange County Inland Areas-San Bernardino County
Mountains-Including The Mountain Top And Front Country
Ranger Districts Of The San Bernardino National Forest-San
Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys -The Inland Empire-
Santa Ana Mountains-Including The Trabuco Ranger District
of the Cleveland National Forest.
High Wind Warning from 4 PM this afternoon to 6 PM PST Wednesday
for Riverside County Mountains-San Diego County Mountains-
San Diego County Valleys-San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning.
Red Flag Warning from 4 AM Wednesday to 6 PM PST Thursday for
Riverside County Mountains-Including The San Jacinto Ranger
District Of The San Bernardino National Forest-San Diego
County Inland Valleys-San Diego County Mountains-Including
The Palomar And Descanso Ranger Districts of the Cleveland
National Forest-San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning.
Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM PST this morning for San
Bernardino County Mountains.
Wind Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 2 PM PST Wednesday for
Apple and Lucerne Valleys.
Red Flag Warning from 4 PM this afternoon to 6 PM PST Wednesday
for Orange County Coastal Areas.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 1 PM PST
Wednesday for Coastal Waters from San Mateo Point to the
Mexican Border and out to 30 nm-Waters from San Mateo Point
to the Mexican Border Extending 30 to 60 nm out including
San Clemente Island.
&&
PUBLIC/FIRE WEATHER...17
AVIATION/MARINE...MMHigh Wind, Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills
- When
- January 7, 7:00 AM PST to January 8, 4:00 PM PST
- Where
- Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills forecast zone
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
- Coordinates
- 33.483, -116.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Chino Hills RAWS as the border of San Bernardino (corrected Local Storm Report) and Orange counties line in the Santa Ana mountains. Wind gusts of 81 mph at 208 mph, towards the end of the intense wind event.
High Wind, Orange County Inland
- When
- January 7, 9:00 AM PST to January 8, 1:00 PM PST
- Where
- Orange County Inland forecast zone
- Measured
- 82 kt (94 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $40,000
- Reported by
- Department of Highways
- Coordinates
- 33.677, -117.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Fremont canyon RAWS had gust 94 mph. This is upstream of the incident. A semi was overturned on SR241 at Santiago Canyon road in the inland valleys of Orange County. Winds were near 60 mph at the time of the incident at 445 am January 8, 2025.
High Wind, San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire
- When
- January 7, 1:00 PM PST to January 25, 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- Department of Highways
- Coordinates
- 34.293, -116.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Downed powerline. Near Northpark boulevard. At 144 pm January 8 vehicles were driving over the lines.
High Wind, San Bernardino County Mountains
- When
- January 7, 3:00 PM PST to January 8, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- San Bernardino County Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 90 kt (104 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Mesonet
- Coordinates
- 34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Gust 103 mph at Marshall Peak. Nearby site from Socal Edison was 92 mph. Santa Ana winds. Peak of 103 mph was 645 pm January 7, 2025.
High Wind, San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire
- When
- January 7, 3:00 PM PST to January 8, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire forecast zone
- Measured
- 48 kt (55 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- Department of Highways
- Coordinates
- 34.293, -116.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Tree uprooted on Kern Street in Muscoy. Blocking roadway. Santa Ana winds.
High Wind, San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire
- When
- January 7, 4:00 PM PST to January 8, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire forecast zone
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 34.293, -116.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Rancho Cucamonga reported numerous large trees snapped or uprooted from strong Santa Ana winds that started in the afternoon on January 7 and continued into January 8, 2025.
High Wind, San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire
- When
- January 7, 5:00 PM PST to January 8, 1:00 PM PST
- Where
- San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire forecast zone
- Measured
- 48 kt (55 mph) measured gust
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- Department of Highways
- Coordinates
- 34.293, -116.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
At least 9 semis overturned at I-210 and I-15. Socal Edison Summit site was gusting to 56 mph. One fatal from overturned big rig. Sig alert for area at Cherry Ave. Santa Ana winds. Peak winds of 59 mph in this area.
High Wind, San Diego County Valleys
- When
- January 9, 4:00 AM PST to January 11, 11:00 AM PST
- Where
- San Diego County Valleys forecast zone
- Measured
- 89 kt (102 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Utility Company
- Coordinates
- 33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Sill Hill weather station owned by SDGE had peak Santa Ana Wind gusts of 102 mph. The all-time high is 105 mph.
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Wildfire in California, January 7 to 31, 202558 deaths · 26 injured · 8 events
- Avalanche in Colorado, January 7, 20251 death · 1 event
- High Wind in California, January 7 to 10, 202587 kt wind · 15 events
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Colorado, January 7 to 9, 202556 kt wind · 13 events
- High Wind in California, January 7 to 8, 202570 kt wind · 9 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Vermont, January 7 to 9, 20258 events
- Strong Wind in New York, January 7 to 9, 2025$4,000 · 7 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New York, January 7 to 9, 20255 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in West Virginia, January 7 to 9, 20255 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in West Virginia, January 7 to 9, 20255 events
- Drought in New Mexico, January 7 to 31, 20254 events
- High Wind in Montana, January 7 to 8, 202570 kt wind · 4 events