Strong Wind — Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore, California

2018-12-31 · Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Event narrative

Two people in their 40s were on a row boat on Richardson Bay during a gale warning when both fell out of the boat, possibly from waves. They were both brought to the hospital where the woman suffered from hypothermia but survived and the man was pronounced dead at the hospital. Neither were wearing a life jacket https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/One-man-dead-in-Richardson-Bay-boat-accident-13501280.php.

Wider weather episode

An amplifying ridge over the Pacific and a deep upper trough over the Great Basin provided the set up for strong northerly flow over most of central and northern California. Winds gusted as high as 78 mph up on Mt Saint Helena with widespread gusts of 40 to 60 mph reported. These winds prompted both Wind Advisory and Gale Warnings across much of the region. Numerous downed trees were reported and a fatality occurred on the San Francisco Bay as a result of these conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 792166. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.