California, 2026Strong Wind in California, March 21, 2026
March 21, 2026 · NWS MTR · 1 event in 1 county or zone
A 37-year old woman from Los Angeles died after her kayak overturned on March 21 in Tomales Bay near Mendoza Beach. S.
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- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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.
A 37-year old woman from Los Angeles died after her kayak overturned on March 21 in Tomales Bay near Mendoza Beach. First responders received reports of the overturned kayak around 6 PM and multiple rescue crews from the Marin and Sonoma County Sheriff's Offices, Marin County Fire, the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Park Service responded. The woman was found unresponsive in the water, and was hoisted out of the bay and taken to shore for lifesaving measures. She was then taken to the hospital, where she was declared dead. The woman's boyfriend and a dog were located near the kayak; both survived although the boyfriend was treated for hypothermia. A nearby weather station showed winds were from the NWW that afternoon around 20-24 mph with gusts from 25-34 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 San Francisco Bay Area, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 21, 3:10 PM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Updated at 1257 PM PDT Sat Mar 21 2026
- Cooling trend continues through Sunday
- Temperatures near to slightly above seasonal averages next week
- Dry weather through the 7 day outlook
Area forecast discussion, Mar 21, 3:10 PM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Francisco CA
410 PM PDT Sat Mar 21 2026
...New AVIATION, MARINE...
.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 1257 PM PDT Sat Mar 21 2026
- Cooling trend continues through Sunday
- Temperatures near to slightly above seasonal averages next week
- Dry weather through the 7 day outlook
&&
.SHORT TERM...
Issued at 1257 PM PDT Sat Mar 21 2026
(This evening through Sunday)
Satellite imagery shows high clouds across the Bay Area and Central
Coast as a weak cold front stalls over the North Bay into northern
California and promotes a slight onshore flow, while the ridge that
gave us the last few days of record-breaking heat flattens and moves
off the the east. High temperatures today range from the upper 70s
to the middle 80s in the interior valleys, the 70s close to the
Bays, and the lower to middle 60s along the Pacific coast. These
temperatures are still warmer than the seasonal averages for this
time of year, but are still a welcome change of pace from the last
week. The high clouds will clear through the evening and overnight
hours, and a redeveloping marine layer will allow for some patchy
stratus in the coastal regions early Sunday morning. Morning lows
will take a dip as the lower elevations reach the upper 40s to the
lower 50s, with lows in the middle 50s to lower 60s in the higher
elevations.
The cooling trend continues through Sunday with more zonal flow
developing in the upper levels, with temperatures maybe a few
degrees cooler across the region, but conditions remaining similar
otherwise.
&&
.LONG TERM...
Issued at 1257 PM PDT Sat Mar 21 2026
(Sunday night through next Friday)
Conditions remain broadly similar through the next week as zonal
flow to slight ridging persist across the forecast region. The
inland valleys of Monterey and San Benito Counties remain rather
warm with highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s possible Monday
through Wednesday. Otherwise, copying and pasting the temperature
outlook for Sunday through the remainder of the 7 day forecast will
give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
The next chances for rainfall remain beyond the 7 day outlook, and
as the previous forecaster noted, extended range model output
suggests a chance for a developing trough pushing a weak low
pressure system into the state as March turns into April. A closer
look at the ensemble model clusters shows an approximate 50/50 split
between the model runs that do show a trough heading into the West
Coast and those that keep the slight ridging around.
&&
.AVIATION...
(00Z TAFS)
Issued at 409 PM PDT Sat Mar 21 2026
Currently VFR at all terminals. Low to moderate confidence on the
return of LIFR conditions to HAF, MRY, and SNS. A dying cold front,
which can be identified with the high clouds, is moving through the
region towards the southeast. This feature will be the deal breaker
on whether or not sub-VFR conditions return tonight. Usually cold
fronts act to deepen the marine layer and mix the atmosphere, but
the weak nature may do little to the marine layer. Onshore winds
will prevail. Haze will reduce slant range visibilities.
Vicinity of SFO...Currently VFR with westerly flow. High confidence
in VFR through the TAF period. Westerly winds will prevail.
SFO Bridge Approach...Similar to SFO.
Monterey Bay Terminals...Currently VFR with westerly flow at MRY and
VFR with northwesterly flow at SNS. Low to moderate confidence on
LIFR conditions returning to the terminals tonight. Onshore winds
will prevail.
&&
.MARINE...
(Tonight through next Thursday)
Issued at 409 PM PDT Sat Mar 21 2026
Fresh and strong breezes with gale force gusts will persist
through early Sunday thanks to a weakening cold front. Strongest
winds will be over the outer waters and near Point Reyes. The
strong winds will lead to steep fresh swell. Winds diminish and
seas abate early next week then increase again mid week.
&&
.MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...None.
PZ...Gale Warning until 3 AM PDT Sunday for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 10-
60 NM-Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 0-10 nm.
Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM PDT Sunday for Pigeon Pt to Pt
Pinos 0-10 nm-Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm-Pt
Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm.
Gale Warning until 9 AM PDT Sunday for Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 10-
60 NM.
&&
SHORT TERM...DialH
LONG TERM....DialH
AVIATION...Sarment
MARINE...MM
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www.youtube.com/nwsbayareaStrong Wind, Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore
- When
- March 21, 5:00 PM PST to 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore forecast zone
- Measured
- 26 kt (30 mph) estimated gust
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 38.290, -122.835 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A 37-year old woman from Los Angeles died after her kayak overturned on March 21 in Tomales Bay near Mendoza Beach. First responders received reports of the overturned kayak around 6 PM and multiple rescue crews from the Marin and Sonoma County Sheriff's Offices, Marin County Fire, the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Park Service responded. The woman was found unresponsive in the water, and was hoisted out of the bay and taken to shore for lifesaving measures. She was then taken to the hospital, where she was declared dead. The woman's boyfriend and a dog were located near the kayak; both survived although the boyfriend was treated for hypothermia. A nearby weather station showed winds were from the NWW that afternoon around 20-24 mph with gusts from 25-34 mph.
- 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.
- Wildfire in Florida, March 21 to 22, 2026$3.5 million · 1 event
- Hail in Tennessee, March 21, 20261 in hail · 1 event
- Hail in Virginia, March 21, 20261 in hail · 1 event
- Wildfire in Nebraska, March 21, 20261 event
- High Wind in South Dakota, March 21, 202654 kt wind · 1 event
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: 1324867.