High Wind — Kern Cty Mtns, California

2019-02-20 · Kern Cty Mtns, California

Event narrative

The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 67 mph.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system dropped southward through the Great Basin on February 20. This system resulted in a brief periods of strong winds over the crest of the Southern Sierra Nevada and below the passes in Kern County. Several locations in Kern County measured peak winds gusts above 40 mph while a few low impact indicator sites reported gusts exceeding 60 mph. This was followed by a very cold system which pushed southward through central California on February 21. While liquid precipitation with this system was not very significant, it did produce snow at elevations as low as 1000 feet and several locations in the southern Sierra Foothills and Kern County Mountains picked up between 2 and 6 inches of new snowfall between the afternoon of February 20 and the afternoon of February 21. This system moved east of the area during the evening of February 21 with a cold airmass being left behind in it's wake.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 798152. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.