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Thunderstorm Wind in Imperial County, California
Thunderstorm Wind September 18, 2025 · Imperial County, California
Where the report was made, with tornadoes recorded within 15 miles over the years.
What the National Weather Service wrote
Semi-truck flipped over on Interstate 8 just east of Bowker Rd. Wind gusts were estimated at 60-65 mph. No injuries reported.
The wider storm
The combination of an upper-level low off the CA coast and the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Mario resulted in a significant moisture increase with PWATs rising to 1.5 on the 17th and upwards of 1.8-2.0 on the 18th. Thunderstorms on the 17th were concentrated mainly across the higher terrain areas of southeast CA, mainly across the Chocolate Mountains, while on the 18th, the activity was more widespread as upper-level forcing from the combination of the upper-level low and the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Mario was maximized. With MLCAPE values maxing out at 1500 J/kg along with the abundant moisture, the thunderstorms were efficient rain producers, resulting in instances of flash flooding. DCAPE values ranging between 1000-1200 J/kg also supported instances of severe damaging wind gusts.
Began near Meloland (32.7735, -115.4671).
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1293029. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.
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