High Wind — San Diego County Coastal Areas, California

2017-02-17 · San Diego County Coastal Areas, California

Event narrative

Strong southerly winds downed hundreds of trees across coastal San Diego County. Many Cars were crushed by falling trees, power lines were downed, homes and business were damaged and one fatality was reported in East San Diego. The San Diego metro was hardest hit, with several mesonet/ASOS sites reporting wind gusts in the 50 to 60 mph range. A peak gust of 61 mph occurred at Imperial Beach. Storm damages reached the millions of dollars.

Wider weather episode

A strong trough and associated Pacific cold front swept into Southern California from the west, bringing strong winds, heavy snow and rain. The storm was noteworthy for the strong prefrontal southerly winds that produced significant tree damage over the coast and valleys. In the mountains the ski resorts received 1-2 ft of snow, while elevations as low as 5,000 ft saw a few inches of accumulation. Rainfall ranged from 2-6 inches along the coastal slopes to 1-2 inches at the coast. At the beaches surf heights reached 8 to 12 ft. Damages, primarily from wind, reached into the millions of dollars.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 681051. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.