Strong Wind — Riverside County Eastern Deserts, California

2016-12-03 · Riverside County Eastern Deserts, California

Event narrative

Strong and gusty north winds blew across the deserts of far southeast California during the early morning hours on December 3rd in association with a vigorous area of low pressure situated just south of Arizona. The winds, gusting in excess of 30 mph, resulted in pure cross-winds which affected vehicles traveling on Interstate 10 in eastern Riverside County. At 0504PST, the strong cross-wind resulted in a fatal rollover accident about 9 miles southwest of the Joshua Tree National Park Cottonwood Visitor Center. The accident was reported by the California Highway Patrol and it resulted in the death of the driver as well as injuries to an additional occupant.

Wider weather episode

Strong and gusty north winds on the back side of area of low pressure situated just south of Arizona blew across the deserts of far southeast California during the morning hours on December 3rd. The winds frequently gusted in excess of 30 mph and were strong enough to warrant the issuance of a Wind Advisory across eastern Riverside County; the advisory began the previous day and continued into the early evening hours on the 3rd. The strong north wind led to significant cross-winds along Interstate 10 and the cross-winds were sufficient to cause a semi truck to overturn 9 miles southwest of the Joshua Tree National Park Visitors Center. The semi rollover accident occurred at about 5 am and led to the death of the driver as well as injuries to another occupant.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 661853. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.