High Wind — San Diego County Valleys, California

2023-11-20 to 2023-11-21 · San Diego County Valleys, California

Event narrative

High winds occurred across portions of the San Diego County Valleys, mainly in the coastal mountain slopes and foothills, starting on the evening of November 20th and lasting through the morning and early afternoon hours on the 21st. The Hellhole Canyon San Diego Gas and Electric (SDGE) Mesonet site recorded a peak wind gust of 70 mph, while the Hauser Mountain site recorded a peak wind gust of 69 mph. Other high peak wind gusts include 66 mph at the Otay Mountain RAWS site, 65 mph at the Alpine RAWS site, and 60 mph at the East Willows SDGE site.

Wider weather episode

Strong high pressure centered over the Great Basin brought a strong round of Santa Ana winds to Southern California on November 20-21. Numerous damage reports were observed on the morning of November 20th, with very strong peak winds observed starting late in the evening on the 20th and running through the morning of the 21st.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1147004. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.