High Wind — Imperial County Except the Lower Colorado River Valley, California

2013-04-08 · Imperial County Except the Lower Colorado River Valley, California

Event narrative

A powerful spring storm moving through the desert southwest led to the development of strong and gusty winds across Imperial county on April 8th. Southwest to west winds gusted in excess of 50 mph at times and led to the issuance of a High Wind Warning for Imperial county. The warning began at 137 pm and continued until 8 pm. According to the Imperial Valley Press, at 130 pm a pole as well as several trees were downed in El Centro. Gusts were estimated to be at least 50 knots.

Wider weather episode

A strong upper level Pacific low pressure system brought strong, gusty and damaging winds to portions of southeast California on April 8th, especially the lower deserts of Imperial county. Gusty southwest to west winds developed during the morning hours, and continued into the early evening, prompting issuance of numerous products, including Wind Advisories, Blowing Dust Advisories, and High Wind Warnings. Peak gusts in excess of 60 mph were seen at times, strong enough to damage area trees and weaker structures such as sheds. The strong gradient winds were not associated with thunderstorms.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 438621. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.