High Wind — Tulare Cty Mtns, California

2018-02-12 · Tulare Cty Mtns, California

Event narrative

The Bear Peak RAWS on an exposed ridge top reported a peak wind gust of 62 mph.

Wider weather episode

High pressure brought a prolonged period of unseasonably warm temperatures to begin February as temperatures were 10 degrees or more above seasonal normals across much of the are for the first 10 days of the month. A low pressure system dropping into the Great Basin on the 10th brought a period of increased winds to the Kern County Mountains and Deserts during the late morning and early afternoon as strong mid level winds mixed down to the surface where there were numerous reports of gusts between 45 and 50 mph. Another trough pushed through the Great Basin on the evening of the 11th through the morning of the 12th which pushed a cold front through Central California and brought another period of increased winds to the area and there were several reports of wind gusts between 50 and 55 mp in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts. this system also brought some light precipitation to the area with amounts generally less than a tenth of an inch of liquid precipitation in post-frontal showers on the 12th. A weak tornado briefly touched down in rural farmland near Sanger during the late morning of the 12th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 730963. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.