High Wind — Northern Sacramento Valley, California

2014-12-31 · Northern Sacramento Valley, California

Event narrative

An 8 ft diameter, 30-40 ft tall grey pine tree fell onto a home in Redding. This home was located on Wyatt Lane, off Churn Creek Road, north of South Bonnyview Road. An adult female was killed, and an male adult and a female toddler(3 yrs of age) were injured in the incident. The Redding Municipal Airport reported NNE winds sustained at 29 mph with gusts to 38 mph at 2 am. The airport is 3.82 mile SSE of the incident. Strong wind duration estimated at about 30 minutes.

Wider weather episode

A strong low pressure system brought strong winds to the Sierra Nevada, the foothills, and the Valley. Butte County received significant wind damage, with 2 fatalities caused by falling trees. A fallen tree also caused a fatality and several injuries in Shasta County. Multiple fallen trees caused damage to homes in the Motherlode foothills and in the Sacramento metro area. Fallen trees and branches also caused power outages, with 344,000 customers across northern California impacted. The storm dropped several inches of snow at higher elevations, causing traffic slowdowns and chain controls over the Sierra passes. Strong winds and cold temperatures also combined to bring wind chill temperatures well below zero for the higher Sierra, impacting outdoor recreation.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 553908. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.