Strong Wind — Santa Cruz Mountains, California

2019-02-14 · Santa Cruz Mountains, California

Event narrative

A tree fell on a car killing one man and seriously injuring another on Hwy 17 south of Summit Rd. This also resulted 10 cars being hit by the tree and surrounding debris.

Wider weather episode

An atmospheric river with an associated cold front moved through the region from February 12th to the 15th bringing widespread flooding and debris flows. Multiple mainstem rivers flooded prompting evacuations from local officials. Strong wind gusts caused downed trees, power outages, and structural damage. Additionally, a tree fell on a car causing one fatality and one serious injury on Highway 17 while another downed tree caused a serious multi-car traffic accident that resulted in another fatality as well as major injuries. The areas peaks received upwards of 10 inches of rainfall and widespread wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph were observed. Mount Saint Helena recorded wind gusts of 80 mph.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 802037. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.