High Wind — Fort Tejon, California

2020-12-27 · Fort Tejon, California

Event narrative

The Grapevine Peak RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 69 mph.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system dropped southward along the central California coast during the evening of December 27 through the afternoon of December 28. This system brought half an inch to three quarters of an inch of liquid precipitation to much of the Sierra Nevada with several stations above 5000 feet picking up between 4 and 9 inches of new snowfall. Much of the Tehachapi mountain range picked up between a quarter to a half of an inch of liquid precipitation with 2 to 4 inches of new snowfall above 4000 feet. Travel was paced by California Highway Patrol for a few hours along Interstate 5 in the Tejon Pass area and along State Route 58 in the Tehachapi area. Travel was restricted with chains being required along State Route 168 through Walker Pass and along State Route 33 south of Maricopa. Most of the eastern San Joaquin Valley and Kern County Desert areas measured between a quarter and a half inch of rain while the western San Joaquin Valley measured between a tenth and a quarter inch of rainfall. This storm also produced a period of gusty winds between the evening of December 27 and the early morning of December 28. Several stations in Kern County as well as over the Sierra foothills and West Side Hills measured gusts above 35 mph with some ridge top stations near the Tejon Pass and some low impact indicator sites measuring gusts exceeding 50 mph.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 926224. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.