High Wind — Indian Wells Valley, California

2023-01-23 · Indian Wells Valley, California

Event narrative

The Laural Mountain RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph.

Wider weather episode

An upper tough dropped southward into the Great Basin on January 22 and January 23. This trough interacted with high pressure centered offshore which extended into California to produce and offshore gradient which resulted in strong northeast winds over the mountains and deserts of Kern County. Several stations measured gusts exceeding 40 mph with some low impact indicator sites reporting gusts in excess on 60 mph. The winds diminished by the afternoon of January 23 as the trough moved east and gradients relaxed.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1066743. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.