High Wind — Northern San Joaquin Valley, California

2021-12-13 · Northern San Joaquin Valley, California

Event narrative

Law enforcement reported that winds caused downed trees which led to hazardous driving conditions across the zone. Peak wind gusts in the zone reached 52 to 60 mph.

Wider weather episode

A weather system brought winter weather to the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades. Reports of 52 to 66 inches of new snow were received. Low elevation snow also occurred with snow accumulation reported down to approximately 2,500 feet in elevation in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Chain controls were in place on Interstate 80 and Highway 50 during the event. Traffic was also briefly closed to through traffic on I-80 for 34 minutes on the 13th due to downed powerlines. A rock slide also closed state route 70 at 3:30 am on the 13th. Highway 49 was closed during the event due to a down tree. Power outages were also reported across the region. Several counties also opened warming centers for the cold temperatures.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1001876. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.