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 very strong and gusty southwest to west winds across Imperial county on the 8th. Winds increased during the morning hours and by afternoon, peak gusts in excess of 58 were noted. These winds led to the issuance of a High Wind Warning for Imperial county which begain at 137 pm and continued until 8 pm. According to a trained spotter in Seeley, at 210 pm sustained winds were measured between 42 and 50 mph. No damage reports were received with these strong winds, however.

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 438629. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.