Strong Wind — North Bay Mountains, California

2020-09-27 to 2020-09-28 · North Bay Mountains, California

Event narrative

Healdsburg Hills North mesonet (PG&E) station recorded gusts of 50 to 60 mph with a peak gust of 68 mph.

Wider weather episode

Dry gusty offshore winds as well as strengthening high pressure enabled the generation and rapid spread of the Glass Fire across Napa and Sonoma counties at the end of September. The mountains of the North Bay saw wind gusts of 40 to 65 mph into the morning of the 28th with 30 to 40 mph gusts across the East Bay Hills. These gusty winds along with dry conditions enabled the Glass Fire to spread almost fourfold in one day. Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated and nearly 80 homes were destroyed along with numerous additional structures including a famous Napa winery. Offshore flow and strong high pressure also broke several daily temperature records across the SF Bay Area. High temperatures were in the mid/upper 90s to low 100s inland and mid 80s to low 90s along the coast.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 917314. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.