High Wind — Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast, California

2023-03-14 · Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast, California

Event narrative

The Monterey Peninsula Airport reported a wind gust of 51 mph. Across the Monterey Peninsula region, downed trees damaged 13 homes and closed California Highway 1 at the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, California Highway 68 at the SFB Morse Gate, and other roads across the city of Pacific Grove. Southbound California Highway 1 was also closed at California Highway 68, or Holman Highway, due to downed power lines. On Highway 1, a man was injured when he stopped due to a downed tree and was hit by a second falling tree.

Wider weather episode

An atmospheric river brought widespread high winds and rain, leading to significant damage, power outages, and injuries. High Wind Warnings were issued for the entire region, and over 180,000 customers lost electricity during the event. Impacts were compounded by an earlier system that resulted in widespread damage, some areas of the Monterey Peninsula lost power again after having lost power for days from the previous system.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1085815. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.