High Wind — Los Angeles County San Gabriel Valley, California

2011-12-01 · Los Angeles County San Gabriel Valley, California

Event narrative

The Santa Fe Dam RAWS sensor reported north to northeast wind gusts between 58 and 68 MPH. Additionally, trained weather spotters in Pasadena reported wind gusts in excess of 60 MPH.

Wider weather episode

On December 1st, a strong north to northeast wind event, which developed on November 30th, continued across sections of Southern California. Widespread wind gusts between 60 and 70 MPH were reported across the mountains of Ventura county as well as the mountains and valleys of Los Angeles county through December 1st. Widespread power outages were reported, especially across the San Gabriel Valley where over 350,000 residents lost power. In the city of Pasadena, significant wind damage was reported with at least 42 buildings red-tagged due to wind damage. Along with the power outages, numerous trees were uprooted or severely damaged from La Canada-Flintridge to Monrovia. Strong northerly cross winds at Los Angeles International Airport resulted in 23 flights being diverted to Ontario International Airport.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 353409. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.