Strong Wind — Imperial County Southeast, California

2024-07-24 · Imperial County Southeast, California

Event narrative

Around 50 power poles were blown down along a north-south oriented dirt road that passes by the Ormesa 2 Geothermal Site east of Holtville. Timing estimated from radar and winds were estimated at 50-55 mph based on radar and the environment. Damage cost was estimated.

Wider weather episode

Spotty convective showers developed in the morning around Imperial County. These cells were fairly weak and may have produced a lightning flash or two along with some very light rainfall. At least one of the cells near Holtville managed to produce a localized microburst that knocked over around 50 power poles. The environment was favorable for strong downbursts given a dry sub-cloud layer with objective analysis showing DCAPE around 1400-1500 J/kg at the time of the event. Given the loose sandy soils of the area, power poles can fall over with sub-severe wind speeds. Thus, considering this, the environment, and the relatively weak intensity of the convective showers, winds were estimated at 50 to 55 mph.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1278853. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.