High Wind — Kern Cty Mtns, California

2019-03-12 · Kern Cty Mtns, California

Event narrative

The Bird Springs Pass RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 79 mph.

Wider weather episode

A strong upper low pressure system dropped southward through the Great Basin region between the afternoon of March 12 and the morning of March 13. This system interacted with a strengthening offshore high pressure center to produce a strong surface pressure gradient over the Kern County Mountains and Deserts which resulted in a period of very strong winds over the area with several reports of wind gusts exceeding 70 mph along ridge tops and below passes. There were also reports of several big rigs being blown over or flipped over by the strong wind gusts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 802346. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.