Strong Wind — Coachella Valley, California

2011-06-16 to 2011-06-17 · Coachella Valley, California

Event narrative

Strong winds in Coachella had kicked up a cloud of dust on the evening of the 16th. The winds coupled with the dust were blamed for a pile-up involving 5 vehicles and 3 semi-trucks. Visibility was reported to be near zero at the time of the crash around 1610 PST. Several people were taken to the hospital for non-serious injuries. Highway 86 was shutdown between Avenues 50 and 52 for several hours, reopening around 2000 PST that night. The Thermal Airport was reporting sustained winds of 20 MPH with gusts to around 30 MPH around the time of the crash.

Wider weather episode

A strong thermal gradient (105 degrees F at Thermal and upper 60s near the coast) combined with an upper low over Utah allowed for significant pressure falls, further tightening the pressure gradient, producing strong westerly winds. The strong winds were a factor in four separate vehicle crashes on the 16th and an overturned plane on the 17th. Winds were just shy of high wind criteria, but were oriented perpendicular to the roads where the crashes occurred.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 321307. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.