High Wind — Santa Barbara County South Coast, California

2006-12-27 · Santa Barbara County South Coast, California

Event narrative

The Gaviota Fire Department reported winds gusts to 65 MPH. These strong winds affected a local campground, injuring a camper when a tree fell on her tent.

Wider weather episode

In late December, a fast-moving storm system moved through Southern California. The storm did not produce any significant rainfall, but did generate a severe thunderstorm with large hail in Sherman Oaks. The main weather associated with this storm system was the gusty offshore winds that developed behind the storm. The gusty winds affected Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties and gusted as high as 100 MPH. Widespread power outages were reported across the area due to downed power lines. The winds also damamged numerous orhcards across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, resulting in over $15 million dollars of crop damage. In Lake Casitas, the winds damaged a large boat dock, scattering numerous boats across the lake. One injury due to a falling tree was reported at a campground in Santa Barbara county. Large ocean waves also occurred during this event and resulted in the death of one man who was trying to save two family members who were swept into the ocean by the large waves. The two family members swept into the ocean were eventually saved.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5505. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.