High Wind in Imperial County Southwest, California

California Highway Patrol (CHP) temporarily closed Interstate 8 to high profile vehicles, due to high winds, from East Willows to Ocotillo beginning around midnight and the closure lasted until around 0800PST on the 20th. Around 2230PST, CHP had an incident report about a semi-truck on its side and blocking one lane of I-8, with one injury, but the report did not confirm if the accident was due to wind. Wind gusts measured by the Mountain Springs Grade RAWS station was reaching 50-60 mph from mid afternoon on the 19th through the early morning of 20th and peaked a couple of times at 66 mph, including around the time of the reported semi-truck accident. No damages or injuries reported due to wind being unconfirmed as a cause of the semi-truck accident.

A low pressure system moving through Nevada on the 19th had a strong jet on the southern side of the low. This strong jet led to strong westerly surface winds across southeastern California, with peak gusts around 40-50 mph in many locations to as high as 66 mph in the southwest corner of Imperial County. California Highway Patrol (CHP) temporarily closed a portion of Interstate 8 to high profile vehicles in southwest Imperial County the night of the 19th through early morning on the 20th. There was a CHP incident report of a semi-truck on its side and blocking one lane of I-8, with one injury, but it was unconfirmed if the cause of the accident was strong winds. Wind gusts measured by the Mountain Springs Grade RAWS station, located along I-8 near the Imperial and San Diego county border, was reaching 50-60 mph from mid afternoon on the 19th through the early morning of 20th and peaked a couple of times at 66 mph, including around the time of the reported semi-truck accident.