Strong Wind — Southern Sacramento Valley, California

2014-03-29 · Southern Sacramento Valley, California

Event narrative

During a wet/rainy day, breezy winds occurred on March 29th for the Southern Sacramento Valley, where winds gusted up to around 20 mph. A driver of a sedan was killed and the passenger was injured after a large oak tree fell on their vehicle. The event occurred around 12:20pm on Sunrise Blvd near Highland Ave in Citrus Heights, CA. Another driver in a minivan was injured after hitting the downed tree and striking a utility pole.

Wider weather episode

A Pacific front moved through interior Northern California March 28-30th which brought rain and heavy snow to the area. Increased shear and CAPE developed in the Sacramento Valley on the 29th. A supercell strengthened in the Central Sacramento Valley that afternoon that eventually produced an EF0 tornado near Nord, CA that evening.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 508989. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.